Research Article
Moyano JC, López JC,
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine and evaluate the protein and energy metabolism at different times of the day in Blackbelly x Pelibuey hair sheep during the rearing stage. The animals were under free grazing conditions in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region. We studied 9 ewes belonging to the flock of the Centre for Research, Postgraduate Studies and Conservation of Amazonian Biodiversity. They were reared under the same environmental, nutritional and management conditions. Serial samples were taken over 3 consecutive days at different times. A significant difference (p ≤ 0.5) was observed between the sampling days for glucose, urea and total proteins. In the sampling schedule, significant differences were found (p ≤ 0.5) for glucose. It can be concluded that both the day and the time of sampling affect the concentrations of protein and energy metabolites in Blackbelly x Pelibuey ewes reared under free grazing conditions in the Ecuadorian Amazon Region.