Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T14:41:18.241Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of lairage during 24 h of transport on the behavioural and physiological responses of sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

M. S. Cockram ,
J. E. Kent ,
R. E. Jackson ,
P. J. Goddard ,
O. M. Doherty ,
I. M. McGilp ,
A. Fox ,
T. C. Studdert-Kennedy ,
T. I. McConnell  and
T. O'Riordan
M. S. Cockram
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Field Station, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
J. E. Kent
Affiliation:
Department of Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH
R. E. Jackson
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, School of Agriculture Building, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
P. J. Goddard
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB9 2QJ
O. M. Doherty
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, School of Agriculture Building, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
I. M. McGilp
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Field Station, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
A. Fox
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, School of Agriculture Building, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
T. C. Studdert-Kennedy
Affiliation:
Institute of Ecology and Resource Management, University of Edinburgh, School of Agriculture Building, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG
T. I. McConnell
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Field Station, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
T. O'Riordan
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Field Station, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9RG
Get access

Abstract

The effects on the behavioural and physiological responses of sheep of providing rest, food and water (lairage) during 24 h of either road transport or stationary confinement (treatment) were investigated. Twenty-four hours of continuous treatment was compared with 12 h of treatment followed by either 12 h of lairage, 3 h of lairage or 3 h of food and water on the vehicle, followed by a second 12 h of treatment. A further group of sheep was kept as controls. The plasma cortisol concentration was increased at the start of the journey and after 24 h of continuous transport it was still greater than that in controls (P < 0·05). Apart from a mobilization of body energy reserves as indicated by raised plasma concentrations offree fatty acids after 12 h and β-hydroxybutyrate after 24 h there was no evidence that the welfare of the sheep during the journey was compromised after a particular time. During the lairage and immediately after the second 12-h transport period, the sheep appeared to be hungry. Although sheep transported for 24 h without lairage drank more post transport than controls, there was no biochemical evidence of dehydration during the journey. The sheep lay down during the journey and there was no apparent difference between lairage treatments in the proportion of scans spent lying down during either the second 12-h treatment period or during the first 12 h post treatment. There were fewer potentially traumatic events during the second 22 h of the 24-h journey than during the first 12 h of the journey and no apparent effect of lairage during the journey on the frequency of potentially traumatic events during the second 12-h period of transport.

There was evidence to suggest that a period of lairage during a 24-h journey can be beneficial in providing sheep with an opportunity to eat, drink and avoid the stressors associated with transport. However, providing hay and water on the vehicle during a 3-h stationary period as compared with unloading into a lairage cannot be recommended. Although sheep readily ate hay on the vehicle, they did not drink sufficient water. This resulted in dehydration and a greater plasma cortisol concentration during the remainder of the journey than in those that had been lairaged for 12 h and a greater water intake post transport than in those given either no lairage or 12 h of lairage.

Keywords

behaviourblood chemistrysheeptransportwelfare
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 65 , Issue 3 , December 1997 , pp. 391 - 402
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1997

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

Annison, E. F. 1960. Plasma non-esterified fatty acids in sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 11:58–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bassett, J. M. 1970. Metabolic effects of catecholamines in sheep. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 23: 903–914.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Blair-West, J. R. and Brook, A. H. 1969. Circulatory changes and renin secretion in sheep in response to feeding. Journal of Physiology 204:15–30.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyd, J. W. 1976. Creatine phosphokinase in normal sheep and in sheep with nutritional muscular dystrophy. Journal of Comparative Pathology 86: 23–28.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christopherson, R. J. and Webster, A. J. F. 1972. Changes during eating in oxygen consumption, cardiac function and body fluids of sheep. Journal of Physiology 221: 441–457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cockram, M. S., Kent, J. E., Goddard, P. J., Waran, N. K., McGilp, I. M., Jackson, R. E., Muwanga, G. M. and Prytherch, S. 1996. Effect of space allowance during transport on the behavioural and physiological responses of lambs during and after transport. Animal Science 62: 461–477.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Degen, A. A. and Shkolnik, A. 1978. Thermoregulation in fat-tailed awassi, a desert sheep, and in German mutton Merino, a mesic sheep. Physiological Zoology 51: 333–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
European Council. 1995. Council directive 95/29/EC of June 1995 amending directive 91/628/EC concerning the protection of animals during transport. Official Journal of the European Communities L148: 52–63.Google Scholar
Farm Animal Welfare Council. 1994. Report on the welfare sheep. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Surbiton.Google Scholar
Goddard, P. J., Gordon, I. J. and Diverio, S. 1994. Remote blood sampling of red deer. In Proceedings of the 5th FELASA symposium (ed Bunyon, J.), pp. 98–102. Royal Society of Medicine, London.Google Scholar
Knowles, T. G., Brown, S. N., Warriss, P. D., Phillips, A. J., Dolan, S. K., Hunt, P., Ford, J. E., Edwards, J. E. and Watkins, P. E. 1995. Effects on sheep of transport by road for up to 24 hours. Veterinary Record 136: 431–438.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Knowles, T. G., Warriss, P. D., Brown, S. N., Kestin, S. C., Edwards, J. E., Perry, A. M., Watkins, P. E. and Phillips, A. J. 1996. Effects of feeding, watering and resting intervals on lambs transported by road and ferry to France. Veterinary Record 139: 335–339.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Laird, N. M. and Ware, J. H. 1982. Random-effects models for longitudinal data. Biometrics 38: 963–974.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McKinley, M. J., Harvey, R. B. and Vivas, L. 1994. Reducing brain sodium concentration prevents postprandial and dehydration-induced natriuresis in sheep. Ada Physiologica Scandinavica 151:467–476.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noldus Information Technology. 1993. The Observer, Base Package for DOS. Reference manual, version 3.0. Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Noldus Information Technology. 1994. The Observer, Support Package for the Psion Organiser. User's manual, version 3.0. Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.Google Scholar
Parrott, R. F., Lloyd, D. M. and Goode, J. A. 1996. Stress hormone responses of sheep to food and water deprivation at high and low ambient temperatures. Animal Welfare 5: 45–56.CrossRefGoogle 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 56:234–239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 1989. SAS user's guide, version 6. Statistical Analysis Systems Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Ternouth, J. H. 1968. Changes in the thiosulphate space and some constituents of the blood of sheep after feeding. Research in Veterinary Science 9: 345–349.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warriss, P. D., Bevis, E. A., Brown, S. N. and Ashby, J. G. 1989. An examination of potential indexes of fasting time in commercially slaughtered sheep. British Veterinary Journal 145:242–248.CrossRefGoogle Scholar