Effect of water deprivation on feed intake, nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention in sheep

Abstract

The problem of sheep grazing in the deserts of Rajasthan is that animals do not get drinking water for 2–3 days at a time. Studies carried out at this Institute, on water deprivation in sheep, have indicated that sheep deprived of water for 72 h did not show any adverse effect on wool yield, in spite of the fact that water deprivation reduced feed intake (More & Sahni, 1972). The present experiment is a part of extensive studies carried out on water deprivation with particular reference to sheep production. The paper describes the influence of water deprivation on nutrient digestibility and nitrogen retention in sheep.