[Rumen metabolism and nonspecific resistance of early-weaned lambs reared by different technics]

Studied was the effect of various technologies of industrial raising--battery-cell, and loose-box--as well as of stress factors on the functional shaping of rumen metabolism and the motor activity of the forestomach, and the unspecific resistance, growth, development, and morbidity rate of early weaned lambs from the 1st to the 75th day. It was found that early weaned (on the 3rd day of age) artificially raised and nourished with a milk replacer lambs exhibited a comparatively low natural resistance. Those of the lambs that were kept in battery cells gave losses amounting up to 5 animals (13.9 per cent) due to bronchopneumonia and white muscle disease. With the use of the group box technology of raising the death cases were 3 (8.3 per cent), 2 of which were due to tympanits. Loosely raised lambs with their ewes showed higher average daily gain (24.9 per cent) as against those raised after the group box system; it was also higher (25.9 per cent) than that of lambs raised in battery cells. With lambs raised in boxes the total locomotor activity of the forestomach proved higher (991 units) as compared to lambs kept in battery (670); it proved lower than that in lambs raised together with their ewes.