Evening meals for sheep could mean fewer greenhouse gases

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-03-18 03:00

New Zealand

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Changing the time a sheep eats may have an impact on how much nitrous oxide ends up in the atmosphere from its urine. NZ researchers studied 12 merino ewe lambs and fed them either in the morning or in the evening, and found that both groups peed out roughly 60 per cent of their urine volume in the following 12 hours. The researchers point out that warmer daytime temperatures increase how much urinary nitrogen ultimately turns into the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide out in the pasture. The researchers suggest that timing a sheep’s feed so that it goes to the bathroom overnight could help lower how much nitrous oxide is ultimately made, especially in late winter.