Developmental changes of nutrient digestion in young lambs are influenced by weaning and associated with intestinal microbiota

Understanding the effects of weaning on the changes of digestive function could help to design efficient intervention strategies for promoting the development of the lamb during the early stages of life. In this study, 24 lambs were divided into two groups (control group, lambs were not weaned; and weaning group, lambs were weaned at 21 days of age). The growth, nutrient digestion, gastrointestinal enzyme activity, plasma biochemical indicators, and intestinal microbiota at 7–49 days were determined, as well as the impact of early weaning. The nutrient digestion changed rapidly with age, especially at 14–28 days (p p p > 0.05), but affected the relative abundance of certain bacteria taxa (p Olsenella, Bacillus, Sharpea, and Bifidobacterium are closely related to CP or EE digestion and growth performance (p