Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-r6qrq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T08:08:53.569Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Development and validation of on-farm behavioural scoring systems to assess birth assistance and lamb vigour

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2010

S. M. Matheson ,
J. A. Rooke ,
K. McIlvaney ,
M. Jack ,
S. Ison ,
L. Bünger  and
C. M. Dwyer
S. M. Matheson*
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
J. A. Rooke
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
K. McIlvaney
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
M. Jack
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
S. Ison
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
L. Bünger
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
C. M. Dwyer
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems Group, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JG, UK
*
†E-mail: Stephanie.Matheson@sac.ac.uk
Get access

Abstract

Lamb mortality remains a significant welfare and economic issue for sheep production. Lamb survival is to a degree dependent upon an easy delivery and the expression of appropriate behaviours from both mother and offspring, such as rapid standing, udder seeking and sucking by the lamb. Genetic solutions have the potential to improve birth assistance and lamb behaviour but large amounts of data are needed. Therefore, to achieve this objective, simple, proxy methods (scoring systems) were developed to quantify the level of birth difficulties and lamb vigour on farm. In the first study, detailed historical behavioural data from 1156 lambs (Scottish Blackface and Suffolk (S)) were analysed to develop criteria for 3 scores: birth assistance, lamb vigour and sucking assistance. The birth assistance score was developed by analysing the relationships between birth presentation and intervention levels, and intervention level and labour length. Lambs with abnormal birth positions required more assistance than normally presented lambs and lambs with long labours required more and greater assistance than those with short labours. Lamb vigour score was developed by analysing the latencies for the lamb to first perform specific behaviours; more vigorous lambs reach landmark behaviours faster than low vigour lambs. The sucking assistance score was developed from the relationship between the latency to suck successfully and assistance level, where lambs that were slow to suck required more assistance than lambs that were quick to suck. In the second study, the behaviour scoring systems (5-point categorical scales) were validated using a commercial flock of 80 twin-bearing crossbred ewes mated with either Texel (T) or S sires by simultaneously recording scores and the latency to perform specific landmark behaviours (i.e. to stand, seek the udder and suck). The vigour scores (recorded at 5 min of age) were compared with the latency from birth to standing and showed that lambs with lower (better) vigour scores were faster to stand after birth than those with higher scores. The sucking assistance scores were compared with the latency from birth to sucking, and showed that lambs with lower sucking assistance scores are quicker to suck than those with high scores. These results showed that the scoring systems could provide a practical and reliable assessment of birth assistance and lamb behaviour on farm and were sufficiently sensitive to discriminate vigour levels between lambs sired by either S or T rams.

Keywords

lamb vigourdystociascoring systembehaviourphenotyping
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 5 , Issue 5 , 04 April 2011 , pp. 776 - 783
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2010

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

Afolayan, RA, Fogarty, NM, Gilmour, AR, Ingham, VM, Gaunt, GM, Cummins, LJ 2008. Reproductive performance and genetic parameters in first cross ewes from different maternal genotypes. Journal of Animal Science 86, 804–814.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) 1993. Energy and protein requirements of ruminants. An advisory manual prepared by the AFRC Technical Committee on Responses to Nutrients. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Alexander, G, Stevens, D, Bradley, LR 1988. Maternal behaviour in ewes following caesarian section. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 19, 273–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alexander, G, Stevens, D, Bradley, LR 1990. Intensive observations during lambing in a Goiter-affected flock, with special reference to behavior of lambs. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 30, 749–757.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Binns, SH, Cox, IJ, Rizvi, S, Green, LE 2002. Risk factors for lamb mortality on UK sheep farms. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 52, 287–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Borg, RC, Notter, DR, Kott, RW 2009. Phenotypic and genetic associations between lamb growth traits and adult ewe body weights in western range sheep. Journal of Animal Science 87, 3506–3514.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brien, FD, Hebart, ML, Hocking-Edwards, JE, Greeff, JC, Hart, KW, Refshauge, G, Gaunt, GM, Behrendt, R, Thomson, K, Hinch, GN, Geenty, GN, Van der Werf, JHJ 2009. Genetics of lamb survival: preliminary studies of the Information Nucleas flock. In Proceeding of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Barossa Valley, South Australia, pp. 108–111.Google Scholar
Cloete, SWP, Scholtz, AJ, Gilmour, AR, Olivier, JJ 2002. Genetic and environmental effects on lambing and neonatal behaviour of Dormer and SA Mutton Merino lambs. Livestock Production Science 78, 183–193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, CM 2003. Behavioural development in the neonatal lamb: effect of maternal and birth-related factors. Theriogenology 59, 1027–1050.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dwyer, CM 2008a. The welfare of the neonatal lamb. Small Ruminant Research 76, 31–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, CM 2008b. Genetic and physiological determinants of maternal behaviour and lamb survival: implications for low input sheep management. Journal of Animal Science 86, E246–E258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dwyer, CM, Lawrence, AB 2005a. Frequency and cost of human intervention at lambing: an interbreed comparison. Veterinary Record 157, 101–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dwyer, CM, Lawrence, AB 2005b. A review of the behavioural and physiological adaptations of hill and lowland breeds of sheep that favour lamb survival. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 92, 235–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, CM, Lawrence, AB, Bishop, SC 2001. The effects of selection for lean tissue content on maternal and neonatal lamb behaviours in Scottish Blackface sheep. Animal Science 72, 555–571.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dwyer, CM, Lawrence, AB, Brown, HE, Simm, G 1996. Effect of ewe and lamb genotype on gestation length, lambing ease and neonatal behaviour of lambs. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 8, 1123–1129.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fisher, M 2003. New Zealand farmer narratives of the benefits of reduced human intervention during lambing. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 16, 77–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gonyou, HW, Stookey, JM 1985. Behavior of parturient ewes in group-lambing pens with and without cubicles. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 14, 163–171.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greeff, JC, Safari, E, Fogarty, NM, Hopkins, DL, Brien, FD, Atkins, KD, Mortimer, SI, van der Werf, JHJ 2008. Genetic parameters for carcass and meat quality traits and their relationships to liveweight and wool production in hogget Merino rams. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics 125, 205–215.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haughey, KG 1993. Perinatal lamb mortality. Irish Veterinary Journal 46, 9–28.Google Scholar
Janssens, S, Vandepitte, W 2004. Genetic parameters for body measurements and linear type traits in Belgian Bleu du Maine, Suffolk and Texel sheep. Small Ruminant Research 54, 13–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macfarlane, JM, Matheson, SM, Dwyer, CM 2009. Genetic parameters for birth difficulty, lamb vigour and lamb sucking ability in Suffolk sheep. In UFAW International Symposium 2009: Darwinian selection, selective breeding and the welfare of animals, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maxa, J, Norberg, E, Berg, P, Pedersen, J 2007. Genetic parameters for growth traits and litter size in Danish Texel, Shropshire, Oxford Down and Suffolk. Small Ruminant Research 68, 312–317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noldus, LPJJ, Trienes, RJH, Hendriksen, AHM, Jansen, H, Jansen, RG 2000. The Observer Video-Pro: new software for the collection, management, and presentation of time-structured data from videotapes and digital media files. Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, and Computers 32, 197–206.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nowak, R, Porter, RH, Lèvy, F, Orgeur, P, Schaal, B 2000. Role of mother–young interactions in the survival of offspring in domestic mammals. Reviews of Reproduction 5, 153–163.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nsoso, SJ, Young, MJ, Beatson, PR 2000. A review of carcass conformation in sheep: assessment, genetic control and development. Small Ruminant Research 35, 89–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Owens, JL, Bindon, BM, Edey, TN, Piper, LR 1985. Behaviour at parturition and lamb survival of Booroola Merino sheep. Livestock Production Science 13, 359–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Poindron, P, Soto, R, Romeyer, A 1997. Decrease of response to social separation in preparturient ewes. Behavioural Processes 40, 45–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Safari, E, Fogarty, NM, Gilmour, AR 2005. A review of genetic parameter estimates for wool, growth, meat and reproduction traits in sheep. Livestock Production Science 92, 271–289.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sawalha, RM, Conington, J, Brotherstone, S, Villanuava, B 2007. Analyses of lamb survival of Scottish Blackface sheep. Animal 1, 151–157.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Snowder, GD, Knight, AD, Van Vleck, LD, Bromley, CM, Kellom, TR 2001. Usefulness of subjective ovine milk scores: I. Associations with range ewe characteristics and lamb production. Journal of Animal Science 79, 811–818.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Spear-Smith, J, Brien, JF, Grafe, M, Allrich, R, Reynolds, JD 2000. Chronic ethanol exposure during late gestation produces behavioral anomalies in neonatal lambs. Neurotoxicology and Teratology 22, 205–212.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Speijers, MHM, Carson, AF, Dawson, LER, Irwin, D, Gordon, AW 2010. Effects of sire breed on ewe dystocia, lamb survival and weaned lamb output in hill sheep systems. Animal 4, 486–496.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed