Effect of natural shading on some adaptive traits of hydrated and dehydrated ewes during breeding under semi-arid conditions

ABSTRACT

This study aimed at testing the relief effects of trees shadow, as a low cost accommodation, on both hydrated and dehydrated ewes during breeding in the hot months of summer. Fifty-two crossbred Barki x Merino ewes, raised in Western Coastal Desert of Egypt, were divided into two groups, one kept under trees and the other exposed to sun. Each group was divided into two sub-groups, one of them was intermittently watered every four days and the other watered daily. The adaptive responses of ewes, in terms of changes in some hematological parameters and body fluids, were examined for 2.5 months where ewes were in early embryonic stage