الفهرس 
Use of bee pollen in animal productionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
This study aim to evaluate the effect of oral administration of two levels of bee pollen (BP) during pre- and post-partum until mating season periods on productive and reproductive performance of Rahmni ewes as well as growth performance of their offspring. Total number of 21 ewes at last six weeks of pregnancy was divided into three groups (7 in each). Ewes in the 1st group were fed a basal diet without treatment (control, G1), while those in the 2nd (G2), and 3rd (G3) groups were fed the same diet and received a daily oral dose of (100 and 200 mg BP/ kg/d), respectively, during the period up to weaning. Live weight (LBW) of ewes and lambs was recorded. Colostrum was analyzed and milk yield and composition were determined. Hematological parameters including, count of red (RBCs) and white (WBCs) blood cells, packed cell volume (PCV%), hemoglobin (Hb), mean cell volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and differential leukocyte percentages were determined at weaning and mating. Concentration of total proteins (TP), albumin (AL), urea and creatinine concentrations, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were detected as well as antioxidant status in serum. The obtained results could be summarized as the following: 1. Live body weight of ewes during pre-partum, at lambing, suckling, weaning and post-weaning was not affected by BP. 2. Average daily milk yield (ADMY) of ewes was not affected by BP. The ADMY decreased (P<0.05) only at the 7th week, showing the highest ADMY at the 3rd week. 3. Contents of fat, protein, organic matter and total solids in milk were the highest (P<0.05) in G3, and the lowest in G1. Only milk fat and total solids contents were increased (P<0.05) in G2 and G3, being the highest in G3. 4. Count of RBCs, and erythrocytic indices, except MCHC were higher (P<0.05) in G3 than in G1 and G2, while WBCs count and lymphocyte percentage were increased (P<0.05) in G2 and G3 than in G1, and decreasing neutrophils percentage and urea concentration in G3 than in G1 and G2. 5. Activity of GSH and catalase (CAT) was significantly (P<0.05) enhanced in G3 than in G1, while insignificantly increased in G2 as compared to G1, but the differences between G2 and G3 were not significant. 6. Concentration of MDA insignificantly decreased in G2 and G3 as compared to G1. Concentration of MDA significantly (P<0.05) increased at late pregnancy as compared to at mating. 7. Activity of GSH showed an enhanced situation to MDA concentration, while CAT activity was nearly similar at different physiological stages. 8. Effect of interaction between BP treatment and sampling time was significant (P<0.001) only on MDA concentration, reflecting similar values at late pregnancy and lactation, while marked reduction in MDA level was observed in treatment groups (G2 and G3) as compared to G1 at mating. 9. The insignificant interaction effect on GSH and catalase activity showed remarkable increase in both parameters in G2 and G3 at all stages, being the highest in G3. 10. During mating period of May breeding season, 5 out of 6 (83.3%) of ewes in G3 exhibited estrous signs and mated versus 4 out of 6 ewes (66.6%) in each of G1 and G2. 11. Post-partum 1st estrus/mating interval was affected significantly (P<0.05) by BP treatment, being the shortest in G3, moderate in G2 and the longest in G1, being 91.4 and 87.9% in G2 and G3 in comparing with G1 (100%), respectively. 12. At expected date of lambing, 4 out of 5 of ewes in G3 lambed versus 3 out of 4 ewes in each of G1 and G2, reflecting higher lambing rate in G3 (80%) than in G1 and G2 (75%). On the same trend, number of lambs was higher in G3 than in G1 and G2, showing higher litter size, based on number of all, mated and lambed ewes in G3 than in G1and G2. 13. Overall mean of P4 concentration was the highest in G3, followed by G2, and the lowest in G1, but the differences were not significant. However, P4 concentration was significantly (P<0.001) higher during mating than during suckling period. 14. The effect of interaction between BP treatment and period was insignificant, reflecting higher P4 level during mating than during suckling period in each group, regardless BP treatment, being almost higher in G3, followed by G2 and G1, respectively. 15. All growth performance parameters of lambs from each group were not affected by treatment of ewes with BP. In conclusion, oral dose of 200 mg bee pollen /kg LBW pre- and postpartum period has impact on milk yield, milk composition, blood parameters, antioxidant capacity and reproductive performance of ewes as well as on colostrum composition and subsequently improved growth performance of produced lambs.