PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND HEMATOLOGICAL PROFILE OF DNIPRO MEAT BREED EWES DURING THE EARLY SUCKLING STAGE

The research results on the metabolic processes in Dnipro Meat breed ewes at the initial stage of the suckling period depending on the number and sex of newborn lambs are presented. The ewes during lambing were divided into two groups of 10 animals each. The first group included ewes that gave birth to a single lamb, while the second group consisted of ewes with twin lambs. At the beginning of the neonatal period, the rearing of newborn lambs is fully provided by the milk production of the ewes. The milk yield of ewes during the first 20 days of the suckling period, which nursed a single lamb, was at the level of 26.5 kg for ewe-lambs and 27.5 kg for ram-lambs, whereas for ewes with twins, the total milk yield amounted to 43.5 kg. As a result, the average daily milk yield during this period for ewes with single lambs was 1.33–1.38 kg, and for ewes with twins, it was 2.18 kg, which was higher by 58.0–63.9%. Probable discrepancies in live weight indicators depending on the type of lamb birth have been identified. In single-born lambs, the predicted growth intensity was higher compared to twin-born lambs, with a difference of 34.5% among ram-lambs and 27.1% among ewe-lambs (p<0.01). Among the key indicators of the chemical composition of milk in the experimental groups of ewes, the baseline values corresponded to the protein content – 5.84-5.82% – and lactose content, which was at the level of 4.77-4.78%. In the milk of ewes with single-born lambs, the fat content was 5.56% and was slightly higher compared to ewes with twins by 0.14 absolute percentage points. It has been established that there are certain differences in the morphological composition of blood among the experimental ewes. More significant changes in red blood parameters are observed in ewes with twins, who not only have a higher number of erythrocytes – 9.1±0.27 T/L, compared to ewes with a single lamb – 8.7±0.17 T/L, but also a higher concentration of hemoglobin in them. It has been determined that the blood of ewes with twin lambs contained a significantly lower number of leukocytes compared to ewes with single lambs — by 23.5%, which indicates a lower immunological reactivity of the organism, caused by a greater stress load on ewes with twin lambs. The obtained data regarding the study of the morphological composition of ewe blood parameters during the most intense phase of the suckling period have practical significance for their application in the development of breeding measures aimed at forecasting their productivity.