Does lambing season affect mother-young relationships and lamb vigor in D'man sheep reared in oases?

Animal : an International Journal of Animal Bioscience
A DhaouiM Hammadi

Abstract

Although sheep are known to be seasonal breeders and give birth in winter, not all of them follow this trend. A few breeds can be mated and give birth all year round, meaning that mothers and neonates will have to face contrasting climatic conditions. The aim of this study was to test whether lambing season affects maternal and neonatal behaviors in D'man sheep. During four different lambing seasons (winter, autumn, summer and spring), periparturient ewes (n = 111) and their lambs (n = 213) were kept under 24-h-video surveillance in order to record postpartum behaviors. Mother-young preference was tested around 48 h after parturition. Lamb vigor was studied by the determination of birth weight, early postnatal behavior and rectal temperature at birth and 48 h later. Litter expulsion time was not affected by lambing season, but birth weight was biased against summer and winter born lambs. Ewes provided a higher intensity of care to their offspring in winter: latency for grooming was shorter and time spent grooming was longer compared to lambing in spring and summer (P = 0.01 in all cases). On the other hand, lambs were the most active in spring as they were faster to extend their hind legs (P = 0.01), stand up (P = 0.04) and rea...Continue Reading

References

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Jan 1, 1984·Genetics, Selection, Evolution : GSE·P PoindronP Le Neindre
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Aug 12, 2018·Developmental Psychobiology·Christine L MortonPaul G McDonald
Sep 23, 2018·Tropical Animal Health and Production·Amel DhaouiMohamed Hammadi

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