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The effects of selection for lean tissue content on maternal and neonatal lamb behaviours in Scottish Blackface sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2016

C. M. Dwyer ,
A. B. Lawrence  and
S. C. Bishop
C. M. Dwyer
Affiliation:
Animal Biology Division, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
A. B. Lawrence
Affiliation:
Animal Biology Division, Scottish Agricultural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
S. C. Bishop
Affiliation:
Roslin Institute, Roslin, Midlothian EH25 9PS, UK
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Abstract

British hill sheep are required to give birth to and rear their lambs under harsh extensive conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate whether genetic selection for increased (LEAN) or decreased (FAT) carcass lean content in the Scottish Blackface breed over 7 years had affected the ability of ewes to rear lambs by altering the expression of maternal and neonatal lamb behaviours. The behaviour of 61 ewes (32 LEAN and 29 FAT) and their 119 lambs were recorded at parturition and over the first 8 weeks of life. Overall there were very few effects of selection on the behaviour of the ewes. LEAN ewes were significantly faster than FAT ewes to start grooming their lambs after birth and FAT ewes tended to withdraw more frequently from their lambs than LEAN ewes. There was, however, a highly significant effect of selection line on lamb behaviour. LEAN lambs were significantly quicker than FAT lambs to perform all righting movements (median latency to stand (mins): LEAN = 11·7, FAT = 23·4, P < 0·01), were more likely both to suck (percentage that sucked: LEAN = 81·0%, FAT = 57·1%, P < 0·05), and to play within the first 2 h of birth. The higher rate of sucking in LEAN lambs persisted over the first 3 days after birth (percent observations where lambs were sucking: LEAN = 7·8 (s.e. 0·8), FAT = 5·1 (s.e. 0·6), P < 0·05), when LEAN lambs were also significantly closer to their mothers than FAT lambs. Thereafter, there were no significant effects of ewe or lamb line on behaviours recorded up to 8 weeks after birth. Overall lamb mortality to 8 weeks was 19·3% and was not significantly affected by lamb line. However, lambs that were slow to perform early behaviours had a reduced survival to 8 weeks of age. These data suggest that, although ewe maternal behaviour has not been significantly affected by selection for lean growth, the activity of the neonatal lamb has been affected. Lamb activity was related to lamb survival, even in our indoor lambing conditions. It is likely that the speed with which newborn lambs stand and suck will be even more important for survival under extensive conditions.

Keywords

maternal behaviourneonatal mortalityselectionsheep
Type
Ruminant, nutrition, behaviour and production
Information
Animal Science , Volume 72 , Issue 3 , June 2001 , pp. 555 - 571
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2001

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