Comparison of Passive Transfer Between Lambs Receiving Colostrum by Natural Suckling and Lambs Given Colostrum by Bottle

Since the syndesmochorial placental structure of sheep does not allow the passage of large molecules from mother to offspring in intrauterine life, lambs are born hypogammaglobulinemic. The aim of this study is to compare passive transfer of immunity, neonatal morbidity and mortality, and live weight gains at day 120 between lambs receiving colostrum by suckling naturally and lambs given colostrum by bottle. 61 (n=61) lambs born to 43 sheep were randomly divided into two groups. One of the groups (NL group) received the desired amount of colostrum from the mother as they desired after birth. For the other group (BL group), access to the mothers' udder was restricted by a pouch after the lambs were born. BL group lambs were given colostrum roughly 8% of their birth weight by bottle as soon as possible after birth. Afterwards, colostrum freshly obtained from the mother was given to these lambs ad libitum every 4-6 hours during the first 24 hours. Approximately 50 ml of colostrum was taken into sterile containers from all sheep included in the study within the first 30 minutes after birth. Blood samples were taken from lambs for IgG analysis 36-48 hours after the first colostrum intake. Both serum and colostrum IgG analyses were performed by Radial Immunodiffusion (RID) method.  Serum IgG concentrations of lambs in the BL group (3155.41±1245.25 mg/dl) were found to be higher than serum IgG concentrations of lambs in the NL group (2097.02±1213.07 mg/dl). When the results were compared using Independent Samples T test, the difference between the two groups was very statistically significant (p<0.001). Neonatal morbidity and mortality were higher in lambs in the NL group (46.6%, 23.2%, respectively) than in lambs in the BL group (22.6%, 12.9%, respectively). Failure of Passive Transfer of Immunity (FPT) in lambs in the NL group (30%) was much higher than in lambs in the BL group (6.45%). Although the average Live Weight (LW) of lambs in the BL group (40.70 +7.84 kg) was higher than the average of lambs in the NL group (36.47+10.46 kg), this difference was statistically insignificant. In conclusion, giving lambs colostrum by bottle as soon as possible after birth without waiting for lambs to naturally receive colostrum from the mother results in better Passive Transfer and, accordingly, lower neonatal morbidity and mortality, and thus can help reduce economic loss in sheep breeding enterprises.