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Maternal behaviour and peripartum levels of oestradiol and progesterone show little difference in Merino ewes selected for calm or nervous temperament under indoor housing conditions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2010

S. Bickell ,
P. Poindron ,
R. Nowak ,
D. Ferguson ,
M. Blackberry  and
D. Blache
S. Bickell
Affiliation:
School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
P. Poindron
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France CNRS, UMR6175 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France Université François Rabelais de Tours, F-37041 Tours, France Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
R. Nowak
Affiliation:
INRA, UMR85 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France CNRS, UMR6175 Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, F-37380 Nouzilly, France Université François Rabelais de Tours, F-37041 Tours, France Haras Nationaux, F-37380 Nouzilly, France
D. Ferguson
Affiliation:
CSIRO Livestock Industries, Livestock Welfare, Locked Bag 1 Armidale, NSW 2350, Australia
M. Blackberry
Affiliation:
School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
D. Blache*
Affiliation:
School of Animal Biology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
*
†E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Temperament influences the expression of maternal behaviour in sheep under experimental field conditions. We investigated whether maternal behaviour between ewes selected for a calm or nervous temperament is independent from environmental conditions. In addition, the level of maternal behaviour expressed by mothers is correlated with the concentration of hormones during the peripartum period. Therefore, we investigated whether the selection for temperament had resulted in hormonal differences between the two lines with regard to the hormones that could be involved in the onset of maternal behaviour. Oestradiol, progesterone and cortisol concentrations from 4 days before parturition to 24 h after parturition were determined from blood samples collected from 10 calm and 12 nervous ewes. Behavioural interactions between ewe and lamb were also recorded for 2 h starting at parturition. Mothers of both temperament lines showed adequate maternal behaviour under the controlled conditions of the study. Therefore, the results of the study do not suggest that selection for a calm or nervous temperament has profoundly affected the intrinsic ability of mothers to display adequate maternal behaviour. Hormonal differences between the two temperament lines were generally small and their possible influence on the display of maternal behaviour in the two temperament lines would have to be demonstrated.

Keywords

ewetemperamentmaternal behaviourhormones
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 4 , 23 February 2011 , pp. 608 - 614
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2010

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