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Spatial distribution during grazing reflects dominance relationships between individual sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 November 2017

H.W. Erhard ,
A.M. Sibbald  and
E. Fàbrega-Romans
H.W. Erhard
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK
A.M. Sibbald
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH, UK
E. Fàbrega-Romans
Affiliation:
Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries - Centre de Control Porcí, 17121 Monells, Catalonia-Spain
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Extract

Female sheep do not frequently show overt dominance displays while grazing on pasture. This has led to the conclusion that, for female sheep, dominance at pasture is of little importance. While sheep show few agonistic interactions, they do make clear and consistent choices of who they graze close to. This experiment was designed to answer the question whether these choices reflect the underlying dominance relationships between individuals, potentially being the reason for the low level of agonistic interactions on pasture.

Type
Theatre Presentations
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science , Volume 2002 , 2002 , pp. 72
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Science 2002

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