An information system to manage hypothermia in newborn lambs

Abstract

AbstractManagement information can be used as a substitute for other business resources. Sheep farmers may find such substitution provides a means to maintain incomes as the price of information falls relative to other scarce resources during the severe cost price squeeze they are currently experiencing.To illustrate how management information may be obtained and used, a multivariate regression technique is described. This is applied to data on the physiological responses of newborn lambs to cold exposure. It shows that an increase of one standard deviation in total body insulation provides a significantly greater direct response in cold resistance in lambs bred for high cold resistance (HCR) compared with lambs bred for low cold resistance (LCR). The countervailing correlated drop in peak metabolic response to cold exposure did not show a significant between-line difference. This information suggests that HCR lambs give a metabolically more efficient response to cold exposure than LCR lambs. Subsequent research has provided physiological evidence to corroborate these findings.The cold resistance of lambs has been shown to be related to lamb survival in the field. Information obtained about the response of individuals or groups of lambs to cold exposure by methods such as those described here may suggest more cost-effective steps that managers should take in order to exploit to the full the varying abilities to resist cold. This in turn should improve enterprise gross output by reducing lamb mortality. It should also reduce costs by ensuring that steps to control cold exposure or alleviate its symptoms are provided only when necessary.