Transitional Nutrition for Sinall Ruminants

Abstract

The time around parturition is the single most stressful event in a doe's or ewe's reproductive life cycle. Nutritional insults prior to and following parturition can result in exacerbation of key metabolic changes necessary to make the physiologic transition from pregnancy to lactation, resulting in a myriad ofnietabolic diseases. Current perceptions tend to focus attention on the lactating female and nutritional support of milk production; however, nutrition and management of the late pregnant female has more significant impact on her productive efficiency, both reproductive and lactational. Veterinarians can play an important role in their client's small ruminant transition program through nutritional monitoring of body condition score, forage quality and metabolic parameters of energy balance and protein status.