Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Abstract

Undernutrition restricted to the time around conception in sheep alters endocrine and metabolic responses in the offspring. Studies in rats suggest that such an early insult can also alter the behaviour of the offspring. We studied the effects of mild maternal periconceptional undernutrition (10-15% body weight reduction) on the lamb's response to separation from and reunion with the mother, and on the ewe-lamb bond, evaluated as the preference for each other over an alien ewe/lamb in a test enclosure, at 24 h 1 and 4 weeks of age. Lamb birth weight was not affected by maternal nutrition. Maternal periconceptional undernutrition did not affect the lambs' responses to separation and reunion (number of vocalisations, times to leave pen and achieve proximity with ewes) or the bond between ewes and lambs (percentage of time spent near their own dam/lamb). However, there were effects of sex, litter size and time on lambs' responses to separation and reunion and on the ewe-lamb bond. Female lambs vocalised more during separation (P

Keywords

Sheep; Prenatal undernutrition; Preferential bond; Behaviour

Published in

Applied Animal Behaviour Science
2009, volume: 120, number: 1-2, pages: 76-83

SLU Authors

UKÄ Subject classification

Animal and Dairy Science

Publication identifier

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2009.04.012

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/86361