Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate effects of age at weaning in combination with different weaning procedures on lamb behaviour and performance. Thirty-two single-born male Balouchi lambs were weaned at 6 or 12 week of age. Within each age group (n=16), the lambs were weaned using either a two-stage or a traditional one-stage method. In traditional one-stage weaning, lambs were abruptly separated from ewes, whereas in two-stage weaning, lambs were first prevented from nursing their dam for 1 week (stage 1) before their separation (stage 2). Lamb weights and behaviour were recorded before and after separation. Lambs weaned at week 6 were heavier and had greater (P<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) until week 16 compared to lambs weaned at week 12. However, neither the traditional nor the two-stage weaning affected body weight and ADG at week 16. Bleat frequencies were greater in traditional method at age of 6 week compared to traditional method at an age of 12 week, two-stage method at an age of 6 week or 12 week (P<0.05). Lambs weaned using the two-stage method had lower (P<0.05) agitation scores compared to traditionally weaned animals. We concluded that the two-stage weaning resulted in less distress than the traditional one-stage weaning, however ADG up to 16 week of age was not affected by weaning method.
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