The effect of long distance walking (migration) on weight, blood metabolites and some enzymes related to metabolism in fat-tailed ewes

In nomadic societies, animals have been transported to obtain the new pastures and maximum use of such pastures. Long-distance walking and feed restriction during migration my cause adverse effects on animals. The present study aimed to investigate physiological changes and metabolic responses to long-distance walking in fat-tailed ewes. For this purpose twenty-five Lory-Bakhtiary ewes with the age of 3.6 ± 0.4 years have been selected randomely from a nomadic herd. The ewes walked the distance of 150 km in 3 days. The nutrition of ewes during this period had been limited to pasture forages. Animals were weighed and bleed before the morning grazing, pre and post transportation. The selected metabolic variables of blood plasma were assessed by commercial kits via the photometric method. Results were analyzed by the GLM procedure of SAS and are shown as Mean ± SE. The walking reduced the average body weight of the ewes by 4.5% (P < 0.05). Total cholesterol level showed a significant decrease (p < 0.05), but the levels of glucose in the blood tended to increase (P = 0.09). Creatinine concentration tended to decrease (P = 0.07). Although walking decreased weight, it had no adverse effects on blood metabolites related to metabolism. It can be speculating that fat-tailed ewes adapted to these conditions, and the reason of that could be linked to fat reserves in their large tails. Further studies of the related metabolic pathways and hormnal axes of energy mobilization of the fat-tail in the molecular and organ level might be required.