Controlled and abrupt weaning and its influence on maternal-filial behavior and performance of lambs

• Grant number: 13/21649-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2013
• End date: March 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Ecology of Domestic Animals and Ethology
• Principal Investigator: Cristiane Gonçalves Titto
• Grantee: Jéssica Cristina Veronezi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Among the stages of animal development , weaning is considered one of the most stressful stage. In order to check the influence of the maternal-filial relationship and weaning on the performance of the lamb, the project will compare two ways of weaning: controlled weaning (Dc) and abrupt weaning (Da) in order to examine how the less aggressive management ensuring its best growth performance after weaning. 40 Santa Inês ewes will be used with their respective offspring. During the experimental period the sheep will be separated into two groups (Dc) and (Da). In Dc from the 38 -day-old lambs will have access to breast milk only during the night until weaning at 45 days, and Da will have access to breast milk until they are 45 days old when they are separated from their mother. It will also be considered the characterization of childbirth as the duration and type of birth (single, double and triple), survival, weighing lambs at birth and weaning time, collect saliva for cortisol analysis. It will be held ANOVA for cortisol ( SAS Mixed) for the effects of type of weaning schedules after separation and days post-separation and interactions with multiple comparison test of means by Tukey- Kramer. For the maternal behavior analysis will branch to the theory of generalized linear model proposed by Wenderburn and Nelder (1972), using the SAS GLIMMIX's procedure. It is expected to find relationships between weaning stress and performance of the animal. (AU)