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| Author(s): |
Camila Raineri
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Pirassununga. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Zootecnica e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZE/BT) |
| Defense date: | 2008-12-15 |
| Examining board members: |
Evaldo Antônio Lencioni Titto;
Alfredo Manuel Franco Pereira;
Luciandra Macedo de Toledo
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| Advisor: | Evaldo Antônio Lencioni Titto |
| Abstract | |
The present study investigated sheep maternal-offspring behavior from birth to first suck and its influence on lamb survival and weight at weaning. The experiment was conducted on a commercial intensive system flock, from June to November, 2006. Data were collected on 216 Santa Inês ewes and their 306 newly-born lambs. Focal animal observations were carried out every 5 minutes, in 12-hour periods. For the ewes, the variables analyzed consisted on posture (PTM), activity (ATM) and time to touch the lamb (TTC). The behaviors analyzed for the lambs were posture (PTC), time to stand up (TEP) and time to suck (TPM). The influence of birth type (simple, double or triple) and labor length, litter size and weight at weaning were also considered. The analyses were conducted through the SAS® statistical package. The model adopted to evaluate the relation between variables was the General Linear Model through the GLM procedure. Immediately after parturition, ewes spent their time mostly with behaviors directed to bonding with the neonates. Newly-born lambs, soon after succeeding in standing up and walking, prioritized colostrum ingestion. The short time required to start maternal care (TTC=1.4863±8.3587 seconds), the low incidence of negative behaviors against the lambs and the neonatal agility to stand (TEP=20.8797±17.6991 minutes) and suck (TPM=46.0726±27.7284 minutes) are indicatives of behavioral adaptations to extensive conditions. Maternal behaviors influenced neonatal agility, measured through time to stand (P<0.01) and to suck (P<0.01). Maternal activity influenced lamb weight at weaning (P<0.05), so lambs that received more adequate care were heavier. Under this study conditions, neonatal agility did not interfere on lamb weight at weaning. Effects of maternal and neonatal posture or activity on lamb survival up to weaning were not verified either. Lambs born from multiple or long births showed less neonatal agility (P<0.05). Lamb birth weights were influenced by the litter size, being singles born heavier (P<0.01). Labor conditions also influenced lamb weight at weaning (P<0.01). (AU) | |