The provision of supplementary colostrum to newborn lambs: effects on post-natal lamb and ewe behaviour

Abstract

In sheep, as in many other species, the first hours following the birth of young are characterised by behavioural interactions between the mother and her young which cause the ewe and lamb to become bonded to each other, particularly within 2–4 h of birth. The aim of this study was to determine whether the provision of supplementary colostrum affected early mother–young behaviour. Eighteen pregnant twin-bearing Scottish Blackface hill ewes were used. At parturition, one lamb from each twin pair received 25 ml/kg birth weight artificial colostrum (treatment group) while the other did not receive artificial colostrum (control group). Lambs and ewes were observed during four consecutive periods of 30 min immediately after birth. During these observation periods, ewes and lambs were undisturbed and lambs were allowed to suck. Results showed that (i) during the first 30-min period, lambs which received supplementary colostrum were less active than their siblings which did not receive supplementary colostrum (resting time 22.3 (±1.10) min vs. 18.6 (±1.43) min for treatment and control lambs, respectively; p=0.05); (ii) during the first 30-min period lambs which received supplementary colostrum were licked for less time than their siblings (14.8 (±2.13) vs. 20.6 (±1.22) min for treatment and control lambs, respectively; p<0.05); (iii) at the end of the observation period, lambs from the treatment group had higher rectal temperatures than control lambs (39.8 (±0.09) °C vs. 39.4 (±0.08) °C, for treatment and control lambs, respectively; p<0.01). It is concluded that, although the provision of supplementary colostrum may reduce the risk of hypothermia, it may also have a deleterious effect on early ewe–lamb interactions.