Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T08:11:54.521Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of Milk Source on Welfare and Weight Gain of Lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

A Sevi ,
F Napolitano ,
D Casamassima  and
S Dell'Aquila
A Sevi*
Affiliation:
Istituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università di Foggia, via Napoli, 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy
F Napolitano
Affiliation:
Istituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università di Foggia, via Napoli, 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali. Via Nazario Sauro, 85, 85100 Potenza, Italy
D Casamassima
Affiliation:
Istituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università di Foggia, via Napoli, 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy Dipartimento di Scienze Animali, Vegetali e dell'Ambiente, Università del Molise, Via De Sanctis, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
S Dell'Aquila
Affiliation:
Istituto di Produzioni e Preparazioni Alimentari, Università di Foggia, via Napoli, 25, 71100 Foggia, Italy Istituto Sperimentale per la Zootecnia, via Napoli, 71020 Segezia (Foggia), Italy
*
† 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.

The possibility of lessening the adverse welfare impact of artificial rearing was assessed in thirty Comisana lambs under conditions of ad libitum feeding. The lambs were assigned to a control dam-suckled group (DS) or to one of two test groups, each consisting of 10 animals. 18-24h after parturition, test lambs were separated from their dams: during the first postseparation week 10 subjects (EM) were offered ewe milk and the other 10 (MX) a 50:50 mix of ewe milk and a milk substitute. An artificial feeding system, to which the test lambs had free access, was filled with milk twice daily. After the first week, a transition from EM or MX to 100 per cent (reconstituted) milk substitute was carried out over 3 days in both test groups, gradually reducing the proportion of ewe's milk. In vivo cell-mediated immune response of lambs to phytohemagglutinin percutaneous injection were evaluated at 5, 15 and 25 days of age. At 10 and 20 days of age, all lambs were subjected to 15min isolation tests, during which latency to move, duration of movement and number of bleats were recorded. Blood samples were collected immediately before the test and 15 and 60min after, in order to assess the effect of differential rearing on the Cortisol response of animals at different ages. In addition, the weight gain of lambs was recorded during the first 35 days of age at weekly intervals. Latency to move and duration of movement were not significantly affected by the experimental treatment, whereas the number of bleats was higher (P < 0.001) in dam-suckled lambs compared to test lambs at both 10 and 20 days of age. Neither immune response nor Cortisol levels were affected by milk source. Although weight gain increased with increasing amounts of ewe's milk in the diet, the overall differences between the three groups were small and not significant. These findings suggest that the provision of ewe milk or a mix of ewe milk and a milk substitute during the first post-separation week can be a suitable strategy to sustain the welfare and production performance in the artificially reared lamb.

Keywords

animal welfareartificial rearingbehaviourproductionperformancesheep
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , May 2001 , pp. 163 - 172
Copyright
© 2001 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

AOAC 1990 Official Methods of Analysis, 15th Edition. Association of Official Analytical Chemists: Arlington, Virginia, USAGoogle Scholar
Billing, A E and Vince, A M 1987a Teat-seeking behaviour in newborn lambs. I. Evidence for the influence of maternal skin temperature. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 18: 301–313CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Billing, A E and Vince, A M 1987b Teat-seeking behaviour in newborn lambs. II. Evidence for the influence of the dam's surface textures and degree of surface yield. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 18: 315–325CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burton, J L, Kennedy, B W, Burnside, E B, Wilkie, B N and Burton, J H 1989 Dinitrochlorobenzene contact hypersensitivity as a marker trait for selection to improve disease resistance in calves. Journal of Dairy Science 72: 2351–2361CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coppinger, T R, Minton, J E, Reddy, P G and Blecha, F 1991 Repeated restraint and isolation stress in lambs increases pituitary-adrenal secretions and reduces cell-mediated immunity. Journal of Animal Science 69: 2808–2814CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
European Communities 1986 Council Directive 86/609/ EEC of 24 November 1986 on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes, pp 1-28. Official Journal L 358, European Communities Publication Office: LuxembourgGoogle Scholar
Fraser, D 1987 Suckling behaviour of artificially reared lambs: What kind of teat elicits spontaneous suckling? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 19: 99–109CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gray, J A 1987 The Psychology of Fear and Stress. Problems in Behavioural Sciences. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UKGoogle Scholar
Grubb, P 1974 Social organization of Soay sheep and the behaviour of ewes and lambs. In: Jewell, P A, Milner, C and Morton-Boyd, J (eds) Island Survivors: The Ecology of the Soay Sheep of St Kilda, pp 131–159. Athlone Press: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Hashizume, T, Haglof, S A and Malven, P V 1994 Intracerebral methionine-enkephalin, serum Cortisol, and serum-endorphin during acute exposure of sheep to physical or isolation stress. Journal of Animal Science 72: 700–708CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hinch, G N, Lynch, J J, Elwin, R L and Green, G C 1990 Long-term associations between Merino ewes and their offspring. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 27: 93–103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hopster, H, Van Der Werf, J T N, Erkens, J H F and Blockhuis, H J 1999 Effects of repeated jugular puncture on plasma concentrations in loose-housed dairy cows. Journal of Animal Science 77: 708–714CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lynch, J J, Hinch, G N and Adams, D B 1992 The Behaviour of Sheep. Biological Principles and Implications for Production. CAB International: Wallingford, UKGoogle Scholar
Minton, J E 1994 Function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system in models of acute stress in domestic farm animals. Journal of Animal Science 72: 1891–1898CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Minton, J E and Blecha, F 1990 Effect of acute stressors on endocrinological and immunological functions in lambs. Journal of Animal Science 68: 3145 -3151CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Minton, J E, Coppinger, T R, Reddy, P G, Davis, W C and Blecha, F 1992 Repeated restraint and isolation stress alters adrenal and lymphocyte functions and some leukocyte differentiation antigens in lambs. Journal of Animal Science 70: 1126–1132CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mirza, S N and Provenza, F D 1994 Socially induced food avoidance in lambs: Direct or indirect maternal influence? Journal of Animal Science 72: 899–902CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moberg, G P and Wood, V A 1982 Effect of differential rearing on the behavioural and adrenocortical response of lambs to a novel environment. Applied Animal Ethology 8: 269–279CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Napolitano, F, Marino, V, De Rosa, G, Capparelli, R and Bordi, A 1995 Influence of artificial rearing on behavioural and immune response of lambs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 45: 245–253CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nolte, D L and Provenza, FD 1991 Food preferences in lambs after exposure to flavors in milk. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 32: 381–389CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orgeur, P, Mavric, N, Yvore, P, Bernard, S, Nowak, R, Schaal, B and Levy, F 1998 Artificial weaning in sheep: Consequences on behavioural, hormonal and immuno-pathological indicators of welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 58: 87–103CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rhind, S M, Reid, H W, McMillen, S R and Palmarini, G 1998 The role of Cortisol and β-endorphin in the response of the immune system to weaning in lambs. Animal Science 66: 397–402CrossRefGoogle Scholar
SAS 1990 SAS/STAT User's Guide, Version 6, 4th Edition. Statistical Analysis System Institute, Inc: Cary, North Carolina, USAGoogle Scholar
Sevi, A and Casamassima, D 1996 Effect of artificial nurse type and milk replacer temperature on lamb adaptation capacity to the artificial teat. Agricoltura Ricerca 165: 441–444Google Scholar
Sevi, A, Casamassima, D and Danese, G 1998 The effect of type of milk on sucking response of artificially reared lambs. Zootecnica e Nutrizione Animale 24: 85–93Google Scholar
Sevi, A, Napolitano, F, Casamassima, D, Annicchiarico, G, Quarantelli, T and De Paola, R 1999 Effects of gradual transition from maternal to reconstituted milk on behavioural, endocrine and immune response of lambs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 64: 249–259CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shillito-Walser, E E, Walters, E and Ellison, J 1982 Observations on vocalisation of ewes and lambs in the field. Behaviour 91: 190–203CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wrutniak, C and Cabello, G 1987 Effect of food restriction on Cortisol, TSH and iodothyronine concentrations in the plasma of the newborn lamb. Reprodution Nutrition Developpement 27: 721–732CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zito, C A, Wilson, L L and Graves, H B 1977 Some effects of social deprivation on behavioural development of lambs. Applied Animal Ethology 3: 367–377CrossRefGoogle Scholar