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A Comparison of Wooden Slats and Straw Bedding on the Behaviour of Sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

G D H Gordon  and
M S Cockram
G D H Gordon
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Field Station, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9RG
M S Cockram*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Veterinary Field Station, Easter Bush, Roslin, Midlothian, EH25 9RG
*
† Contact for correspondence
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Abstract

The behaviour of two groups of sheep was observed when they were placed in a pen on wooden slats and/or on straw bedding for 48h. When sheep were placed in the pen and not given a choice of slats and straw, the proportion of scans spent standing and lying by one group of sheep were not affected by floor surface, whereas another group lay down more on the straw than on the slats during the first 24h in the pen. There was more movement when on straw than on slats. When given a choice of either slats or straw for 48h, the sheep spent more than half of the scans on straw. The study showed that sheep show a preference for lying down on straw compared with wooden slats. However, sheep will lie down on wooden slats. Although straw is, quite rightly, recommended as a suitable surface for lying, there was little evidence in this study that slats provide an unsuitable surface for a slaughterhouse lairage pen.

Keywords

animal welfarebehaviourfloorsheep
Type
Short Communication
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , May 1995 , pp. 131 - 134
Copyright
© 1995 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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References

Cohen, L and Holliday, M 1982 Statistics for Social Scientists. Harper and Row: London, UKGoogle Scholar
Farm Animal Welfare Council 1984 Report on the Welfare of Livestock (Red Meat Animals) at the Time of Slaughter. HMSO: London, UKGoogle Scholar
The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department 1992 Code of Practice. The Welfare of Red Meat Animals at Slaughter. The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department: Edinburgh, UKGoogle Scholar