Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T01:15:28.651Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Relationship between lamb vigour and ewe behaviour at parturition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

C. E. O'Connor  and
A. B. Lawrence
C. E. O'Connor
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
A. B. Lawrence
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural College Edinburgh, Genetics and Behavioural Sciences Department, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0QE
Get access

Abstract

Maternal behaviour and lamb vigour are both considered major variables affecting lamb survival, but there are few data to describe their relative importance. To investigate the relationship between lamb vigour and maternal behaviour this study compared the behaviour of pure Scottish Blackface lambs with Mule (Bluefaced Leicester ♀. × Scottish Blackface ♂) lambs, all born indoors. Anecdotal accounts suggested a significant reduction in lamb vigour in Mule lambs, a matter also of significant practical importance given the current incease in Mule numbers. Observations on the grooming behaviour of 32 single or twin-bearing ewes, and on the general activity and udder-seeking behaviour of their lambs were made at parturition. In this study, neither ewe grooming behaviour nor general lamb activity were directly related to lamb sucking success. It was shown that, although Mule lambs had high birth weights and stood as quickly as Blackface lambs, they showed significantly fewer sucking attempts (P < 0·01) and took longer to suck successfully (28 min for Blackface v. 55 min for Mules). The inability of Mule lambs to suck successfully was due to their failure to show proper udder-directed behaviour. These results indicate the importance of considering the behaviour of both ewes and lambs as it would seem that it is not ‘poor’ maternal behaviour but inappropriate lamb behaviour that is a limiting factor in lamb survival in the Mule breed.

Keywords

eweslambsbehaviourparturition
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 54 , Issue 3 , June 1992 , pp. 361 - 366
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alexander, G. 1960. Maternal behaviour in the Merino ewe. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production. 3: 105–114.Google Scholar
Alexander, G. and McCance, I. 1958. Temperature regulation in the new-born lamb. I. Changes in rectal temperature within the first six hours of life. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 9: 339–347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, G., Peterson, J. E. and Watson, R. H. 1959. Neonatal mortality in lambs: intensive observations during lambing in a Corriedale flock with a history of high lamb mortality. Australian Veterinary journal. 35: 433–441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, G. and Williams, D. 1964. Maternal facilitation of sucking drive in newborn lambs. Science. 146: 665–666.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arnold, G. W. and Morgan, P. D. 1975. Behaviour of the ewe and lamb at lambing and its relationship to lamb mortality. Applied Animal Ethology. 2: 25–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bareham, J. R. 1976. The behaviour of lambs on the first day after birth. British Veterinary Journal. 132: 152–161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dalton, D. C., Knight, T. W. and Johnson, D. L. 1980. Lamb survival in sheep breeds in NZ hill country. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 23: 167–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deag, J. M. 1988. Keybehaviour: a program for the recording of keypress-time behaviour data on a BBC microcomputer. Zoology Department, University of Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Edwards, S. A. and Broom, D. M. 1982. Behavioural interactions of dairy cows with their newborn calves and the effects of parity. Animal Behaviour. 30: 525–535.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonyou, H. W. and Stookey, J. M. 1987. Maternal and neonatal behaviour. In Farm animal behaviour. Veterinary clinics of North America: food animal practice 3 (no. 2), pp. 231–249.Google Scholar
Hight, G. K. and Jury, K. E. 1970. Hill country sheep production. II. Lamb mortality and birth weights in Romney and Border Leicester × Romney flocks. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research. 13: 735–752.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Holmes, R. J. 1976. Relationship of parturient behaviour to reproductive efficiency of Finn sheep. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production. 36: 253–257.Google Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1977. GENSTAT V mark 4.01. Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden.Google Scholar
McGlone, J. J. and Stobart, R. H. 1986. A quantitative ethogram of behavior of yearling ewes during two hours post-parturition. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 16: 157–164.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Connor, C. E., Lawrence, A. B. and Wood-Gush, D. G. M. 1992. Influence of litter size and parity on maternal behaviour at parturition in Scottish Blackface sheep. Applied Animal Behaviour Science In press.Google Scholar
Owens, J. L., Bindon, B. M., Edey, T. N. and Piper, L. R. 1980. Neonatal behaviour in high fecundity Booroola Merino ewes. In Behaviour in relation to reproduction, management and welfare of farm animals (ed. Wodzicka-Tomaszewska, M., Edey, T. N. and Lynch, J. J.), Reviews in rural science 4, pp. 113–116. University of New England Press, Armidale.Google Scholar
Owens, J. L., Bindon, B. M., Edey, T. N. and Piper, L. R. 1985. Behaviour at parturition and lamb survival of Booroola Merino sheep. Livestock Production Science 13: 359–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shillito-Walser, E. 1977. Maternal behaviour in mammals. Symposium of the Zoological Society of London. 41: 313–331.Google Scholar
Siegel, S. and Castellan, N. J. 1988. Nonparametric statistics for the behavioural sciences. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill, Singapore.Google Scholar
Slee, J. and Springbett, A. 1986. Early post-natal behaviour in lambs of ten breeds. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 15: 229–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stevens, D., Alexander, G. and Lynch, J. J. 1982. Lamb mortality due to inadequate care of twins by Merino ewes. Applied Animal Ethology. 8: 243–252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vince, M. A., Lynch, J. J., Mottershead, B., Green, G. and Elwin, R. 1985. Sensory factors involved in immediately postnatal ewe/lamb bonding. Behaviour. 94: 60–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vince, M. A., Lynch, J. J., Mottershead, B. E., Green, G. C. and Elwin, R. L. 1987. Interactions between normal ewes and newly born lambs deprived of visual, olfactory and tactile sensory information. Applied Animal Behaviour. 19: 119–136.CrossRefGoogle Scholar