Primiparous ewes and multiparous ewes show physiological differences during pregnancy, which can have an impact on the development of their offspring. The objective of this study was to compare the changes in the metabolic profile and in the size of some foetal bones throughout gestation between primiparous and multiparous ewes. Twelve primiparous (PM) ewes and 14 multiparous (MT) ewes were used. According to the dates of lambing, two groups of ewes were formed: Group 1 (G1, n = 6 PM and n = 7 MT) and Group 2 (G2, n = 6 PM and n = 7 MT). The body weight, body condition score, metabolic and foetal morphometric parameters were determined from before conception until the end of gestation. After lambing, the body weight and survival rate during the first 72 hr of life of lambs, as well as the maternal behaviour score were recorded. The PM ewes were lighter (p < .01) and had a greater mobilization of body reserves during gestation, mainly evidenced by a greater serum concentration of NEFAs and lower serum concentration of total proteins (p < .05) compared with the MT ewes. The parity did not affect the foetal morphometric variables. The lambs of MT ewes were heavier at parturition (p = .002) and tended to have a greater survival rate than those lambs of PM ewes (p = .09). In conclusion, PM ewes and MT ewes differ in their metabolic profile throughout the gestation. However, in the present study, we did not find parity differences in the dimensions of foetal bones during growth in gestation.

中文翻译：

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初产母羊和多胎母羊妊娠期间胎儿骨骼的生长和代谢状况。

初生母羊和杂母羊在怀孕期间表现出生理差异，这可能对其后代的发育产生影响。这项研究的目的是比较初生母羊和多胎母羊在整个妊娠过程中新陈代谢特征和某些胎儿骨骼大小的变化。使用了十二头初生（PM）母羊和十四头初生（MT）母羊。根据产羔的日期，形成了两组母羊：第一组（G1，n  = 6 PM，n  = 7 MT）和第二组（G2，n  = 6 PM，n = 7 MT）。 = 7吨）。从受孕前到妊娠结束，确定体重，身体状况评分，代谢和胎儿形态参数。产羔后，记录羔羊寿命的前72小时的体重和存活率，以及产妇行为评分。PM母羊体重较轻（p  <.01），并且在妊娠期间具有更大的动员身体储备能力，这主要是由 MT母羊的血清NEFAs浓度较高和总蛋白血清浓度较低（p <.05）所证明。胎次不影响胎儿形态计量学变量。MT母羊的羔羊在分娩时较重（p  = .002），并且往往比PM母羊的羔羊具有更高的成活率（p = .09）。总之，在整个妊娠过程中，PM母羊和MT母羊的代谢谱不同。但是，在本研究中，我们并未发现妊娠期胎儿胎骨尺寸的奇偶性差异。