Growth, hematological and biochemical responses of growing lambs injected with growth hormone and supplemented with calcium soaps of fatty acids

Physiological and productive responses to recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) injection and calcium soap of fatty acids (CSFA) supplementation were studied in male Rahmani crossbred lambs. Twenty male lambs of similar body weight (27.9kg) and age (162d) were randomly assigned to four equal groups of 5 animals each. The first group was fed the basal diet and served as control; the second group (GH) was biweekly injected with 100mg rbST; the third group (CSFA) supplemented with 50g/d of calcium soap of fatty acids; and the fourth group (GH+CSFA) was injected biweekly with rbSf plus 50gId of CSFA. Lambs were weighed biweekly at mornings before access to feed and water. Blood samples were collected by jugular vein puncture one week after each rbST injection. Treatments with rbST, CSFA or acombination of rbst and CSFA increased (P 0.05) final body weight and average daily gain compared with the control group.concentration of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF--1) in lambs treated with (GH) or (GH+CSFA) was higher (P 0.01) than that in lambs treated with CSFA or control group. Hematological parameters (RBC WBC, and hemoglobin concentrations) Mot change among treatment groups. Lambs treated with rbST showed higher (P 0.05) serum total protein concentration than other treated and control lambs. Control lambs showed the least serum albumin concentration in comparison with other treated groups. injection of rbST or supplementation of CSFA let to an increase in serum glucose concentration compared with control lambs. Serum urea concentration was not affected by injection of GH, but their values were lower (P 0.05) in the CSFA -supplemented group compared to the control group. Serum triglyceride concentrations decreased (P 0.05) in the rbST-injected lambs compared to other treatment groups. Lambs supplemented with CSFA only or in combination with rbST injection had higher (P 0.05) concentration of serum cholesterol than control or rbST-injected lambs. Results of the present study suggest that rbST and CSFA may increase the average daily gain and improve the status of the growing lambs.