High linoleic acid safflower seed supplementation for gestating ewes: Effects on ewe performance, lamb survival, and brown fat stores

Objectives of this study were to determine whether feeding high-linoleic safflower seed to gestating ewes increases cold tolerance and survival in lambs, and whether brown adipose tissue (BAT) stores in lambs are affected by prepartum safflower seed supplementation. In Trial 1, 234 gestating ewes (122 in yr 1 and 112 in yr 2; 75.5 and 81.2 ± 0.6 kg initial BW for yr 1 and 2, respectively) were allotted randomly to one of two dietary treatments (four pens.treatment -1 .yr -1 ). Ewes were fed alfalfa-based diets containing (DM basis) either 2.8 (LF) or 5.7% (HF) dietary fat beginning 55 (yr 1) and 42 (yr 2) ± 1 d prepartum. In Trial 2, 40 Rambouillet cross ewes gestating twins (82.9 ± 1.7 kg BW) were used in 2 yr (20/yr) and were fed diets containing (DM basis) either 1.9 (LF) or 4.9% (HF) dietary fat beginning 53.4 ± 1.4 d prepartum. The basal diet was 37.5% each of grass and alfalfa hays and 25% corn silage (DM basis). Cracked safflower seeds (18% CP, 32% fat, 25.6% linoleic acid; DM basis) were used as the supplement in HF, whereas safflower meal and corn were used as the supplement in LF for both trials. At parturition, one lamb from each ewe was selected randomly for slaughter. Perirenal (PR) and pericardial (PC) BAT was excised and weighed, and the carcass was frozen for compositional analysis. In Trial 1, more lambs from HF dams survived (P = 0.03; 88.4 vs. 78.3 ± 2.9%), fewer died due to starvation (P = 0.03; 15.4 vs. 5.8 ± 2.8%), and there was a tendency for fewer to die due to pneumonia (P = 0.07; 0.0 vs. 1.7 ± 0.6%). Ewes fed HF tended to wean more lambs per ewe (P = 0.09; 1.4 vs. 1.2 ± 0.06) but had similar lamb weight weaned per ewe (P = 0.51; 23.1 ± 1.22 kg). In Trial 2, prepartum ewe plasma NEFA and glucose concentrations increased with advancing gestation (P < 0.001). Lamb rectal temperature tended (P = 0.08) to be higher in LF lambs and tended (P = 0.06) to increase following parturition. Perirenal BAT weight did not differ among treatments (33.01 ± 1.66 g; P = 0.28; 0.62 ± 0.30% BW; P = 0.60). Lambs from LF dams tended (P = 0.08) to have greater PC BAT weight; however, the effect was not significant when expressed as a percentage of BW (0.13 ± 0.007; P = 0.98). High-linoleic safflower seeds fed during the last 45 d of gestation may be beneficial in improving lamb survivability. Our data do not indicate this response was a result of increased BAT stores. More research is necessary to determine mechanisms that enhance lamb survival when high-linoleic safflower seed is fed during gestation.