Social Behaviour in Lambs (Ovis aries) Reared under an Intensive System during the Prepuberty Period
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Animals
2.2. Experimental Period, Measurements, and Samplings
2.3. Behavioural Observations
2.4. Plasma Sample Preparation and Cortisol Analysis
2.5. Wool Sample Preparation and Cortisol Analysis
2.6. Statistical Analysis
2.7. Ethics Approval
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Behaviours | Description |
---|---|
Maintenance | |
standing | Standing still, sporadically moving the head |
lying | Resting with eyes open or closed |
head hanging | Standing quietly with head hanging |
foraging | Head inside the feeder trough |
walking | Shifting from one place to another |
running | Going from one place to another on a faster pace |
Agonistic | |
clash | Two individuals facing each other move backwards and then lunge forward and hit each other head to head |
threats | Turns towards or approaches another individual with his head down and then lunges without making contact |
butt | Uses the front of his head to make contact with another individual |
push | Uses other parts of the body except the head to make contact with another individual |
Submissive | |
avoidance | Actively moves away from another individual as a result of a previous agonistic interaction |
Affiliative | |
grooming | Grooms another individual’s body using the teeth |
resting chin | Puts the chin on another individual’s rump or back |
face contact | Places the nose near a recipient’s facial region and holds the position while smelling or rubbing the recipient’s face or head |
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Variables | Period A (2.5–4 Months of Age) n = 21 | Period B (4–5.5 Months of Age) n = 21 | Period C (5.5–7 Months of Age) n = 21 | Significance (p Value) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Social behaviour | ||||
Actor agonistic (frequency) | 11 × 10−4 ± 2 × 10−4 a | 5 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | 8 × 10−4± 1 × 10−4 b | p = 0.006 |
Actor affiliative (frequency) | 21 × 10−4 ± 3 × 10−4 a | 8 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | 5 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | p < 0.001 |
Actor submissive (frequency) | 6 × 10−5 ± 2 × 10−5 | 0 × 10−5 ± 0 × 10−5 | 2 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | NS |
Receiver agonistic (frequency) | 836 × 10−4 ± 20 × 10−4 a | 5 × 10−4 ± 0 × 10−4 b | 9 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | p < 0.001 |
Receiver affiliative (frequency) | 150 × 10−4 ± 22 × 10−4 a | 7 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | 5 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | p < 0.001 |
Receiver submissive (frequency) | 0 × 10−5 ± 0 × 10−5 | 0 × 10−5 ± 0 × 10−5 | 1 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | NS |
Growth rates | ||||
Average Daily Gain (ADG; kg/day) | 0.137 ± 0.009 a | 0.106 ± 0.008 a | 0.064 ± 0.007 b | p = 0.001 |
Height growth/day (cm/day) | 0.151 ± 0.010 a | 0.051 ± 0.008 b | 0.055 ± 0.010 b | p < 0.001 |
Cortisol levels | ||||
Blood cortisol (ng/mL) | 3.391 ± 0.517 | 2.966 ± 0.626 | 3.089 ± 0.892 | NS |
Wool cortisol (pg/mg) | 7.899 ± 1.195 a | 15.831 ± 2.350 b | 23.398 ± 5.344 b | p = 0.002 |
Variables | CH n =21 | KG n =21 | ST n =21 | Significance (p Value) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Maintenance behaviours | ||||
Standing (frequency) | 0.031 ± 0.012 a | 0.104 ± 0.018 b | 0.072 ± 0.015 a,b | 0.001 |
Lying (frequency) | 0.260 ± 0.033 | 0.319 ± 0.059 | 0.261 ± 0.040 | NS |
Head hanging (frequency) | 0.255 ± 0.035 | 0.162 ± 0.037 | 0.231 ± 0.029 | NS |
Foraging (frequency) | 0.420 ± 0.029 | 0.378 ± 0.047 | 0.418 ± 0.041 | NS |
Walking (frequency) | 0.022 ± 0.007 | 0.031 ± 0.009 | 0.014 ± 0.005 | NS |
Running (frequency) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Social behaviour | ||||
Actor agonistic (frequency) | 9 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 | 10 × 10−4 ± 2 × 10−4 | 6 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 | NS |
Actor affiliative (frequency) | 12 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 a,b | 16 × 10−4 ± 3 × 10−4 a | 6 × 10−4 ± 1 × 10−4 b | 0.011 |
Actor submissive (frequency) | 2 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | 2 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | 3 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | NS |
Receiver agonistic (frequency) | 457 × 10−4 ± 210 × 10−4 | 148 × 10−4 ± 76 × 10−4 | 246 × 10−4 ± 107 × 10−4 | NS |
Receiver affiliative (frequency) | 61 × 10−4 ± 22 × 10−4 | 54 × 10−4 ± 20 × 10−4 | 47 × 10−4 ± 17 × 10−4 | NS |
Receiver submissive (frequency) | 0 × 10−5 ± 0 × 10−5 | 0.6 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | 0.8 × 10−5 ± 1 × 10−5 | NS |
Growth rates | ||||
Average Daily Gain (ADG; kg/day) | 0.108 ± 0.009 a | 0.119 ± 0.011 a | 0.080 ± 0.009 b | 0.037 |
Height growth/day (cm/day) | 0.092 ± 0.014 | 0.091 ± 0.015 | 0.074 ± 0.011 | NS |
Cortisol levels | ||||
Blood cortisol (ng/mL) | 1.805 ± 0.417 a | 2.851 ± 0.442 a,b | 4.789 ± 0.928 b | 0.029 |
Wool cortisol (pg/mg) | 10.861 ± 2.385 | 17.328 ± 3.056 | 18.939 ± 4.966 | NS |
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Papadaki, K.; Samaras, A.; Pavlidis, M.; Bizelis, I.; Laliotis, G.P. Social Behaviour in Lambs (Ovis aries) Reared under an Intensive System during the Prepuberty Period. Agriculture 2024, 14, 1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071089
Papadaki K, Samaras A, Pavlidis M, Bizelis I, Laliotis GP. Social Behaviour in Lambs (Ovis aries) Reared under an Intensive System during the Prepuberty Period. Agriculture. 2024; 14(7):1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071089
Chicago/Turabian StylePapadaki, Kallirroi, Athanasios Samaras, Michail Pavlidis, Iosif Bizelis, and George P. Laliotis. 2024. "Social Behaviour in Lambs (Ovis aries) Reared under an Intensive System during the Prepuberty Period" Agriculture 14, no. 7: 1089. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14071089