A note on the effect of body condition on the voluntary intake of dried grass wafers by Scottish Blackface ewes

Abstract

SUMMARY The fatness of 34 non-pregnant Scottish Blackface ewes was estimated subjectively by lumbar palpation. The sheep were separated into groups of ‘fat’ (more than 27 % body fat) and ‘thin’ animals (less than 20% body fat). The voluntary intake of dried grass by these sheep was measured over a 6-week period. The mean daily dry-matter intake by the thin sheep was 1·9 kg or 106 g/kg W 0·73 and by the fat sheep was 1·4 kg or 68 g/kg W 0·73 .