Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T17:57:29.206Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Heart Rate and Stress Hormone Responses of Sheep to Road Transport Following Two Different Loading Procedures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

R F Parrot ,
S J G Hall  and
D M Lloyd
R F Parrot*
Affiliation:
MAFF Welfare and Behaviour Laboratory, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK
S J G Hall
Affiliation:
MAFF Welfare and Behaviour Laboratory, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, CB3 OES, UK, and now School of Agriculture and Horticulture, De Montfort University, Grantham, Lines NG32 3EP
D M Lloyd
Affiliation:
MAFF Welfare and Behaviour Laboratory, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB2 4AT, UK
*
† Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

This study was designed to investigate the physiological responses induced in sheep (n = 18) by two different loading techniques followed by a short road journey. All animals were prepared with venous catheters, to minimize the disturbing effects of blood sampling, and nine sheep were fitted with heart rate monitors. The animals were loaded onto a transport vehicle in groups of three, alternately using a conventional tailgate ramp or a crate raised with a hydraulic lift. When all of the sheep were loaded, they were taken on a journey lasting 195min. Blood samples were collected in the home pen, directly after loading, and at 15min intervals during the journey. Measurements were made of plasma concentrations of Cortisol, prolactin and catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline). The results indicated that heart rate increased during loading, regardless of the method used. No changes in concentrations of Cortisol or the catecholamines were detected, although a small increase in prolactin was noted when animals were loaded using the ramp. During transport, all sheep exhibited increases in plasma Cortisol concentrations which were greatest during the first 2h of the journey. The results suggest that, under the conditions employed in this experiment, the effects of the two loading procedures were similar and that transport appeared to be more stressful than loading.

Keywords

animal welfarehandlingheart rateroad transportsheepstress hormones
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 7 , Issue 3 , August 1998 , pp. 257 - 267
Copyright
© 1998 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

Broom, D M, Goode, J A, Hall, S J G, Lloyd, D M and Parrott, R F 1996 Hormonal and physiological effects of a 15h road journey in sheep: comparison with the response to loading, handling and penning in the absence of transport. British Veterinary Journal 152: 593–604CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cockram, M S, Kent, J E, Goddard, P J, Waran, N K, McGilp, I M, Jackson, R E, Muwanga, G M and Prythcrch, S 1996 Effect of space allowance during transport on the behavioural and physiological responses of lambs during and after transport. Animal Science 62: 461–477CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houpt, K A, Kendrick, K M, Parrott, R F and De La Riva, C F 1988 Catecholamine content of plasma and saliva in sheep exposed to psychological stress. Hormones and Metabolic Research 20: 189–190Google Scholar
Hulet, C V, Alexander, G and Hafez, ESE 1975 The behaviour of sheep. In: Hafez, ESE (ed) The Behaviour of Domestic Animals pp 246–294. Baillière Tindall: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Parrott, R F and Goode, J A 1992 Effect of intracercbroventricular corticotrophin-releasing hormone and intravenous morphine on Cortisol, prolactin and growth hormone secretion in sheep. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 9: 141–149CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parrott, R F, Hall, S J G, Lloyd, D M, Goode, J A and Broom, D M 1998 Effect of a maximum permissible journey time (31h) on the physiological responses of fleeced and shorn sheep to transport, with observations on behaviour during a short (lh) rest-stop. Animal Science 66: 197–207CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parrott, R F, Misson, B H and De La Riva, C F 1994 Differential stressor effects on the concentrations of Cortisol, prolactin and catecholamines in the blood of sheep. Research in Veterinary Science 56: 234–239CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parrott, R F and Thornton, S N 1989 Opioid influences on pituitary function in sheep under basal conditions and during psychological stress. Psychoneuroendocrinology 14: 451–459CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parrott, R F, Thornton, S N and Robinson, J E 1988 Endocrine responses to acute stress in castrated rams: no increase in oxytocin but evidence for an inverse relationship between Cortisol and vasopressin. Acta Endocrinologica 117: 381–386Google ScholarPubMed