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The Effect of Environment and Social Dynamics on Lamb Behavior

Pullin, Allison Nicole
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492511346580333

Abstract Details

2017, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Animal Sciences.
Assuring farm animal welfare is of increasing concern for consumers in the United States. The assessment of welfare involves a multi-factorial approach, with one of the critical tools being the study of behavior. For sheep in particular, the behavioral repertoire primarily encompasses social and feeding behaviors. However, management strategies on-farm, such as weaning, modify these behaviors in order to meet productivity goals. There is minimal literature evaluating the long-term effects of early weaning strategies on feeding behaviors in lambs. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to assess short- and long-term lamb feeding, standing, and lying behaviors as they relate to social groupings and the environment in which the lamb is placed in at early weaning. The first study involved validating a scan sampling technique for behavioral observations of pastured lambs in order to improve efficiency and accuracy of data collection. Utilizing two statistical tests (generalized linear mixed model and linear regression), it was determined that a 10-min instantaneous scan sampling interval would accurately estimate grazing, lying, and standing behaviors of lambs housed on pasture. The second study utilized the validated scan sampling technique to collect behavioral data of lambs assigned to weaning treatments in two experiments. Experiment 1 evaluated short- (three days post-weaning) and long-term (eight weeks post-weaning) grazing, lying, and standing behaviors on social dynamics in a pasture environment at early weaning. The treatments included weaned lambs housed with similar-aged lambs (W), weaned lambs housed with similar-aged lambs and non-lactating adult ewes (SF), and lambs that remained with their maternal dam until 116 d of age (E). There were no differences in short- or long-term grazing, lying, or standing behaviors between W and SF lambs, indicating that the presence of a non-lactating adult ewe did not impact weaned lamb behavior via social facilitation. Both W and SF lambs spent a greater percentage of time grazing than E lambs long-term, indicating that E lambs continued to nurse until 116 d of age to supplement forage intake with milk. Similarly, W and SF lambs spent a lesser percentage of time lying than E lambs long-term, as decreased time inactive generally correlates with increased time active. Experiment 2 compared short- and long-term feeding behavior of weaned lambs housed with similar-aged lambs in a feedlot (FL) to W lambs from the first experiment to investigate influences of environment at time of early weaning. There was evidence of adaptation to the new diet and environment as FL lambs fluctuated feeding behavior within the first four weeks of the trial. Weaned lambs on pasture (W) also spent 39.2% more time consuming nutrients than FL lambs, which was attributed to the influence of feedstuff composition on behavior. The studies in this thesis demonstrate that weaning age, social dynamics, and environment influence lamb behavior, and lambs supplement milk intake with forage up to 116 d of age. This thesis provides short- and long-term behavioral data collected with a validated sampling technique in order to contribute a substantial behavioral dataset to sheep welfare literature regarding weaning strategies.
Monique Pairis-Garcia, PhD, DVM (Advisor)
Francis Fluharty, PhD (Advisor)
Kathryn Proudfoot, PhD (Committee Member)
Henry Zerby, PhD (Committee Member)
86 p.
Animal Sciences
animal welfare; weaning; sheep; lamb; behavior; applied ethology; pasture; feedlot; grazing; feeding; instantaneous scan sampling; social facilitation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Pullin, A. N. (2017). The Effect of Environment and Social Dynamics on Lamb Behavior [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492511346580333

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pullin, Allison. The Effect of Environment and Social Dynamics on Lamb Behavior. 2017. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492511346580333.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pullin, Allison. "The Effect of Environment and Social Dynamics on Lamb Behavior." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1492511346580333

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1492511346580333
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© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.