The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different suckling systems in non-dairy sheep on the production and components of milk, sucking behavior and lamb growth from day 4 after lambing until the lambs were 4 weeks old.... more
The experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different suckling systems in non-dairy sheep on the production and components of milk, sucking behavior and lamb growth from day 4 after lambing until the lambs were 4 weeks old. The sixteen ewes with their lambs were used to compare restricted suckling time (R) and free suckling time (F) methods. The F lambs were maintained with mothers and suckled ad libitum during day. The R lambs were removed from their dams and allowed to suckle their dams for 15 min during morning and afternoon period. After two weeks of age, all lambs were encouraged to consume roughage alfa alfa as ad libitum to stimulate their ruminal activity. Daily milk intakes of R lambs were low, while F lambs consumed more milk in 1st and 3rd weeks. Therefore, F lambs gained more weight in these weeks. The R lambs have been shown to result in lower sucking duration and higher frequency as compared to F lambs until 4th week. There were no significant differences between treatments in change of milk protein during study. However, the milk fat concentrations were higher in the F group than in R group until 4th week Zusammenfassung Der Effekt eingeschränkter Säugezeit auf Milchinhaltsstoffe und Säugeverhalten bei Lämmern
تربية الأغنام في مصر- גידול כבשים במצרים- Sheep breeding in Egypt- Schapenfokkerij in Egypte - Élevage de moutons en Égypte- Schafzucht in Ägypten- Allevamento di pecore in Egitto - Овцеводство в Египте
This report investigates the effectiveness of using neural networks for autonomously controlling a robotic sheep dog to herd sheep. All of the work takes place in a simulated computer environment, however the results have relevance for... more
This report investigates the effectiveness of using neural networks for autonomously controlling a robotic sheep dog to herd sheep. All of the work takes place in a simulated computer environment, however the results have relevance for extension into the real world. The primary focus of the investigation was the impact that different sensor morphologies and neural network architectures had on the performance of the sheepdog. It was found that a simpler sensor morphology outperformed a more complex one when given a limited amount of training data.
Climate change is seen as a major threat to the survival of many species, ecosystems and the sustainability of livestock production systems in many parts of the world. Green house gases (GHG) are released in the atmosphere both by natural... more
Climate change is seen as a major threat to the survival of many species, ecosystems and the sustainability of livestock production systems in many parts of the world. Green house gases (GHG) are released in the atmosphere both by natural sources and anthropogenic (human related) activities. An attempt has been made in this article to understand the contribution of ruminant livestock to climate change and to identify the mitigation strategies to reduce enteric methane emission in livestock. In Indian subcontinent, heat stress is the most important climatic stress. Heat stress adversely affecting productive and reproductive performance of livestock, and hence reducing the total area where high yielding dairy cattle may be economically reared. The livestock sector which will be a sufferer of climate change is itself a large source of methane emissions contributing about 18% of total enteric methane budget. Ruminant livestock such as cattle, buffalo, sheep and goats contributes the major proportion of total agricultural emission of methane .In India, although the emission rate per animal is much lower than the developed countries, due to vast livestock population the total annual methane emissions from Indian livestock ranged from 7.26 to 10.4 MT/year. In India more than 90% of the total methane emission from enteric fermentation is being contributed by the large ruminants (cattle and buffalo) and rest from small ruminants and others. Generally CH4 reduction strategies can be grouped under two broad categories such as management and nutritional strategies. Although the reduction in GHG emissions from livestock industries are seen as high priorities, strategies for reducing emissions should not reduce the economic viability of enterprises if they are to find industry acceptability.
The rumen is an anaerobic vat that provides a conducive environment to the microflora for fermenting the nutrients. The three main functions of rumen include fermentation of structural carbohydrates, recycling of urea and detoxification... more
The rumen is an anaerobic vat that provides a conducive environment to the microflora for fermenting the nutrients. The three main functions of rumen include fermentation of structural carbohydrates, recycling of urea and detoxification of toxic components in forages. Fermentation process produces three main volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetate, butyrate and propionate. The balance between the concentrations of VFAs is necessary to maintain normal ruminal functions. The alterations in various factors like pH, rate of salivation, feed type, temperature, etc. also influence the rumen functions like rumen motility and digestibility of nutrients. High ruminal temperature affects the digestibility of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) positively, whereas it negatively influences the digestibility of organic matter (OM). Altered digestibility in animals subjected to heat stress is attributed to changes in bacterial activity and ruminal and intestinal absorption of nutrients since the fermentation process is mainly performed by the ruminal commensals. In heat-stressed animals, the synthesis of microbial protein is also reduced due to reduced availability of energy supply to the microbes. Heat stress also has a role in development of ruminal acidosis. Disruption of feeding patterns by changes in the weather has been implicated as a cause of acidosis. Further, heat stress also was found to increase enteric methane (CH4) production. The reduced gut motility, rumination, ruminal contractions and passage rate of digesta during high ambient temperature are the major factors which influence CH4 production. Heat stress was found to influence the microbial population in rumen. During heat stress, Clostridium coccoides and Streptococcus spp. population increased, whereas Fibrobacter population decreased in the rumen. Though the rumen microbial spectrum has numerous bacteria, fungi, protozoa and archaea species, the characterization and culturing of a wide number of species has not been attempted yet. Future research efforts are needed to establish a reference set of rumen microbial genome sequences as understanding the interrelationship between rumen microbes is very vital for developing enteric CH4 mitigation strategies.
In the light of a new reading of archaeological data of this site we propose a new hypothesis. It is possible we are facing a monastery specialized in the production of parchment. We examine El Bolavar linking the site with its nearest... more
In the light of a new reading of archaeological data of this site we propose a new hypothesis. It is possible we are facing a monastery specialized in the production of parchment. We examine El Bolavar linking the site with its nearest geographical area, but also inserting it into the documented context of the parchment production in the former territories of the Roman Empire during Late Antiquity and High Middle Ages.
In female sheep and goats, exposure to males can be used to induce ovulation and thus control and synchronise fertility. This ‘male effect’ offers simple, cost-effective, and hormone-free management of reproduction in flocks and herds... more
In female sheep and goats, exposure to males can be used to induce ovulation and thus control and synchronise fertility. This ‘male effect’ offers simple, cost-effective, and hormone-free management of reproduction in flocks and herds but, despite decades of research, significant gaps in our knowledge impede commercial application. Many of these gaps can be traced back to misconceptions in the early documentation of the male effect, and others are the result of uncontrolled factors in experimental design. Consequently, it is often difficult to draw conclusions from past research, to further our understanding of the phenomenon, and to make recommendations for industry application. Here, we describe 2 aspects of the male stimulus used to elicit the male effect that are often uncontrolled – the novelty of the stimulus males and factors that contribute to variability in the potency of the male stimulus. We discuss the physiology that underpins novelty, including the individual specificity of the socio-sexual signals emitted by the male, and the concomitant ability of females to distinguish among individual males and remember them. Importantly, an understanding of the issue of novelty can make it easier to use the male effect in commercial practice. We also discuss difficulties in interpretation caused by variation in endpoints of the male effect (from neuroendocrine reaction to birth). We conclude that more rigour is needed in the control and reporting of male novelty, in pre-experimentation separation of the sexes, and in extrapolation from detection of early responses to the male stimulus to reproductive outcomes.
For various reasons related to human diet, social prestige or cosmology, hunting-especially of large preys-has always been central in foragers' societies. When pre-Neolithic foragers have given up their nomadic way of life they have faced... more
For various reasons related to human diet, social prestige or cosmology, hunting-especially of large preys-has always been central in foragers' societies. When pre-Neolithic foragers have given up their nomadic way of life they have faced a sink-source problem about game procurement in the resource-catchment area around their settlements. Baiting, by mean of the cultivation of wild plants in food plots, may have help them to attract herbivores, thus improving the return of hunting activities. These foragers were also motivated by the capture of wild animals alive, in order to keep fresh meat for a while, to translocate these animals or for milk exploitation. For this capture, the use of a passive form of drive hunting seems best suited. The cultivation of food plots within the funnel and the corral might have been used to attract wild herbivores into the drive. Baiting was therefore designed either to increase the hunt or to improve the capture of large wild herbivores such as the Near-Eastern wild caprines that were later domesticated. Therefore baiting should be viewed as a hunting strategy as well as an unconscious selection mechanism since it has inadvertently contributed to the prey pathway to animal domestication.
Reprenant le « point de vue animal » adopté par un nombre grandissant de chercheurs, cet article s’efforce de reconstituer le vécu des ovins de l’Indre confrontés à la maladie entre la fin du XVIIIe siècle et le milieu du XXe siècle, en... more
Reprenant le « point de vue animal » adopté par un nombre grandissant de chercheurs, cet article s’efforce de reconstituer le vécu des ovins de l’Indre confrontés à la maladie entre la fin du XVIIIe siècle et le milieu du XXe siècle, en s’appuyant sur les archives locales et en les mettant en relation avec les publications des vétérinaires, des zootechniciens et des éthologues. Les « bêtes à laine », qui ont constitué un cheptel très nombreux et un pilier essentiel de l’économie bas-berrichonne, furent longtemps sous la menace de graves affections. La progressive et inégale amélioration de leur état sanitaire sur cette période tient bien plus aux progrès des conditions d’élevage et à la prophylaxie qu’à des traitements encore balbutiants et reste, dans tous les cas, soumise aux ressources financières des éleveurs. à travers l’étude de l’animal malade se dessinent, au final, les grandes lignes d’une condition animale dans le passé.
The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of... more
The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 The influence of separation from dam on suckling behavior of lambs was tested from day 5 after lambing until the lambs were 8 days old. The twelve ewes with their lambs were randomly after lambing until the lambs were 8 days old. The twelve ewes with their lambs were randomly after lambing until the lambs were 8 days old. The twelve ewes with their lambs were randomly after lambing until the lambs were 8 days old. The twelve ewes with their lambs were randomly after lambing until the lambs were 8 days old. The twelve ewes with their lambs were randomly assigned in equal numbers to two treatments; separating from dam (S) and non-separating without assigned in equal numbers to two treatments; separating from dam (S) and non-separating without assigned in equal numbers to two treatments; separating from dam (S) and non-separating without assigned in equal numbers to two treatments; separating from dam (S) and non-separating without assigned in equal numbers to two treatments; separating from dam (S) and non-separating without suckling (NS). Separation from dam resulted in lower duration and higher frequency of suckling. suckling (NS). Separation from dam resulted in lower duration and higher frequency of suckling. suckling (NS). Separation from dam resulted in lower duration and higher frequency of suckling. suckling (NS). Separation from dam resulted in lower duration and higher frequency of suckling. suckling (NS). Separation from dam resulted in lower duration and higher frequency of suckling. The lambs in S treatment had shown lower milk intake as compared to rearing lambs by NS The lambs in S treatment had shown lower milk intake as compared to rearing lambs by NS The lambs in S treatment had shown lower milk intake as compared to rearing lambs by NS The lambs in S treatment had shown lower milk intake as compared to rearing lambs by NS
Little remains known about the physical size of local sheep from southern Africa during the distant past. Early Venda speakers settled in the region during the middle of the second millennium AD, and an early site associated with them,... more
Little remains known about the physical size of local sheep from southern Africa during the distant past. Early Venda speakers settled in the region during the middle of the second millennium AD, and an early site associated with them, Mutokolwe B, yielded 11 complete metapodia of sheep. This is the largest find of this nature in the southern African region for farming communities. The fauna from Mutokolwe B dates to between AD 1450 and 1550. Measurements of archeological sheep bones can help tease apart questions of breed development and socio-economic organization in the past. We used these metapodials to calculate the shoulder height of sheep. Sheep from Mutokolwe B ranged between 61.69 and 71.17 cm in shoulder size (average 66.28 cm), which is similar to other local sheep breeds such as the Nguni found in South Africa. In addition, the size of the sheep from Mutokolwe B falls within the variation of modern sheep found in southern and Eastern Africa.
L’étude s’intéresse aux caractères des incisives du mouton Rembi en mode d’élevage agropastoral sédentaire, dans le haut plateau de l’Ouest algérien. Les incisives de 216 moutons adultes ont été examinées. Les résultats découvrent une... more
L’étude s’intéresse aux caractères des incisives du mouton Rembi en mode d’élevage agropastoral sédentaire, dans le haut plateau de l’Ouest algérien. Les incisives de 216 moutons adultes ont été examinées. Les résultats découvrent une incidence très élevée de la protrusion et de l’allongement des incisives chez ces moutons (55%). La malocclusion, due à la protrusion, engendre des anomalies dentaires dont l’étiologie principale serait les carences nutritionnelles, imputées à la conduite alimentaire des troupeaux. Les moutons porteurs d’anomalies valorisent peu les parcours pauvres, et engendrent, en conséquence, des pertes économiques liées aux baisses des performances du troupeau et aux réformes précoces.
Shaping through differential reinforcement of successive approximations to a target response has been a cornerstone procedure for the training of novel behavior. However, much of how it has traditionally been implemented occurs through... more
Shaping through differential reinforcement of successive approximations to a target response has been a cornerstone procedure for the training of novel behavior. However, much of how it has traditionally been implemented occurs through informal observation, rather than any direct, systematic measurement. In the present study, we examine the use of response-independent food schedules and shaping for increasing approach and contact behaviors in petting zoo sheep. In Experiment 1, a fixed-time (FT) 15 s food schedule was used to effectively increase approach and contact behaviors in one sheep. In Experiment 2, negative reinforcement in the form of removal of the presence of a trainer was made contingent on the successful completion of approximations within a shaping procedure and later switched to food rewards. A changing-criterion design was used to empirically examine the effects of the shaping procedure during each step of the program. The result is one of the first studies to demonstrate the utility of using negative reinforcement within a shaping procedure to successfully intervene on approach/avoidance behaviors in an applied animal setting.
The object of the experiment was to investigate the effect of lacta-tion weeks on sucking behaviour and milk biochemistry until 35 d of age and find the correlations between sucking parameters and biochemical milk components. Ten Karayaka... more
The object of the experiment was to investigate the effect of lacta-tion weeks on sucking behaviour and milk biochemistry until 35 d of age and find the correlations between sucking parameters and biochemical milk components. Ten Karayaka male lambs were used in the present studies. Sucking parameters of each lamb were observed at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 d of age. It was found the significant differences in fat levels of milk between first and last three periods of experiment. Urea-N and protein levels of milk were stable throughout the study. Milk intake of lambs declined (p < 0.05) significantly as the lamb age increased from 7 to 14 d. There were significant differences between first and last three periods in median duration of sucking bouts of lambs (p < 0.05). Total duration of sucking bouts of lambs decreased (p < 0.05) significantly as the lambs increased from 7 to 14 d. The number of sucking bouts gradually declined from 7 to 35 d and the differences between 7 and all other d are significant (p < 0.05). Median duration of sucking bouts was significantly correlated with milk intake (r = 0.33, p < 0.05) and milk fat (r = 0.29, p < 0.05). There was a significant correlation (r = 0.29, p < 0.05) between total duration of sucking bouts and milk intake. The urea-N and protein in milk have no significant effect on lamb sucking behaviour.
The target article unequivocally establishes that sheep are far more intelligent and cognitively sophisticated than is generally acknowledged. For this reason, the authors advocate for significantly more stringent regulation of... more
The target article unequivocally establishes that sheep are far more intelligent and cognitively sophisticated than is generally acknowledged. For this reason, the authors advocate for significantly more stringent regulation of agricultural and research practices when sheep are used. I briefly review the existing US regulations governing the use of sheep in research and discuss the extent to which they are applied to sheep. I then discuss weaknesses in the current regulations, concluding that they should be changed to mandate housing all research animals in environments that accommodate the psychosocial needs of each species.
Visual acuity is an important component of environmental recognition in sheep, yet knowledge about it is limited in this or other herbivorous species. We tested the ability of BritishFriesland × Texel female lambs to discriminate black... more
Visual acuity is an important component of environmental recognition in sheep, yet knowledge about it is limited in this or other herbivorous species. We tested the ability of BritishFriesland × Texel female lambs to discriminate black and white square-wave grat- ings, presented vertically or horizontally, from a grey stimulus. Animal and environmental conditions were optimised for detection of visual acuity. Sheep could rapidly learn to discriminate some gratings from a grey stimulus. There was no difference in the ability of sheep to discriminate vertical or horizontal stimuli from a grey stimulus. Visual acuity, determined at between 11.7 and 14.0 cycles/degree, was greater than that previously predicted from anatomical measurements (7–10 cycles/degree), and considerably greater than that measured for sheep by the Landoldt C ring technique (2.6–5.7 cycles/degree). It was also greater than that measured previously in most research using ungulates and other herbivores, with a variety of techniques. It is concluded that sheep visual acuity is potentially greater than hitherto realised, but that standardisation of techniques is required to make accurate comparisons with data gathered previously. Additionally, the ability to gauge an animal’s awareness and its response(s) to various visual optotypes in its macro-environment will enable us to design livestock housing, handling and transport facilities that promote animal welfare.
