Abstract
The aims were to compare ewe-lamb behaviours between primiparous (PRI) and multiparous (MUL) undernourished grazing ewes at birth and at 3 months of age, and to determine if mothers’ parity affects milk yield and composition, and lambs’ body weight (BW). Food availability restricted the nutritional requirements from day 30 to day 143 of gestation. The MUL ewes had greater BW than the PRI during gestation, and their lambs tended to vocalize less frequently until their first suckle. PRI ewes both displayed a lower frequency of acceptance behaviours and, a greater number of high-pitched bleats toward the alien lamb than toward that of their own, but MUL did not. PRI ewes produced less milk than the MUL ewes. The heart rate was greater in lambs reared by MUL ewes than by PRI. Although PRI ewes had a lower BW during gestation, this difference was stable throughout and did not affect the establishment of the ewe-lamb bond neither at birth nor at 3 months postpartum. At least under nutritionally restricted conditions during gestation, inexperienced mothers appeared to have had a shorter sensitivity period of maternal responsiveness than that of experienced mothers.
Highlights
The aims were to compare ewe-lamb behaviours between primiparous (PRI) and multiparous (MUL) undernourished grazing ewes at birth and at 3 months of age, and to determine if mothers’ parity affects milk yield and composition, and lambs’ body weight (BW)
The BW and body condition score (BCS) of ewes changed with time (p < 0.0001)
This is consistent with the difference in BW of PRI and MUL ewes from conception until lambing, indicating that PRI ewes invested proportionally more energy than MUL ewes in the development of their foetus rather than investing in maintaining their growth rate
Summary
The aims were to compare ewe-lamb behaviours between primiparous (PRI) and multiparous (MUL) undernourished grazing ewes at birth and at 3 months of age, and to determine if mothers’ parity affects milk yield and composition, and lambs’ body weight (BW). PRI ewes had a lower BW during gestation, this difference was stable throughout and did not affect the establishment of the ewe-lamb bond neither at birth nor at 3 months postpartum. Food restriction might impose greater limitations on foetus growth and lambs from MUL ewes, affecting the ewe-lamb behaviours at birth and the independence from the dam during lactation. 30 55 69 86 108 123 143 Time of gestation (days) their lambs grow at a slower rate than those from MUL e wes[19], which may very well affect their nutritional independence from their mother and the strength of bond during lactation. A complementary aim was to determine if milk yield and composition, together with lambs’ weight, differ according to their mothers’ parity
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