Table 3. DMI, BW change, yield and composition of colostrum and milk in transition ewes fed two flaxseed types and two RUP levels.
| Level and type flaxseed | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No flaxseed | 10% whole flaxseed | 10% extruded flaxseed | SEM | p-value | ||||||
| 20%RUP (NFLR) | 40%RUP (NFHR) | 20%RUP (WFLR) | 40%RUP (WFHR) | 20%RUP (EFLR) | 40%RUP (EFHR) | Flax | RUP | Flax × RUP | ||
| Pre-lambing | ||||||||||
| DMI (kg/day) | 1.07 | 0.95 | 1 | 1.01 | 1.12 | 1.18 | 0.03 | 0.001 | 0.560 | 0.017 |
| BW change (kg) | 6 | 5.45 | 4.65 | 5.6 | 5.56 | 5.95 | 0.37 | 0.600 | 0.901 | 0.650 |
| Post-lambing | ||||||||||
| DMI (kg/day) | 1.84 | 1.77 | 1.98 | 1.75 | 1.92 | 1.89 | 0.04 | 0.031 | 0.007 | 0.028 |
| BW change (kg) | -0.83 | -0.02 | 0.32 | 1.58 | 0.70 | 1.28 | 0.84 | 0.271 | 0.055 | 0.781 |
| Colostrum | ||||||||||
| Yield (kg) | 1.89 | 1.83 | 1.90 | 1.88 | 2.43 | 2.38 | 0.27 | 0.097 | 0.860 | 0.998 |
| Fat (%) | 9.6 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.9 | 9.5 | 9.9 | 0.78 | 0.950 | 0.670 | 0.800 |
| Protein (%) | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 0.44 | 0.641 | 0.510 | 0.280 |
| Milk | ||||||||||
| Yield (kg) | 1.37 | 1.94 | 1.59 | 2.03 | 2.23 | 1.83 | 0.18 | 0.130 | 0.170 | 0.021 |
| Fat (%) | 6.75 | 4.83 | 5.45 | 5.42 | 5.33 | 4.87 | 0.38 | 0.211 | 0.013 | 0.041 |
| Protein (%) | 3.33 | 3.51 | 3.43 | 3.53 | 3.43 | 3.54 | 0.05 | 0.410 | 0.002 | 0.661 |
DMI, dry matter intake; BW, body weight; RUP rumen undegradable protein; NFLR, no flaxseed, low RUP; NFHR, no flaxseed, high RUP; WFLR, whole flaxseed, low RUP; WFHR, whole flaxseed, high RU; EFLR, extruded flaxseed, low RUP; EFHR, extruded flaxseed, high RUP.