Fourteen calves were used to investigate the changes from birth to 83 days of age in the concentrations of serum albumin, alkaline phosphatase, beta-hydroxybutyrate, plasma cortisol, serum creatine kinase, creatinine, iron, plasma fibrinogen, serum gamma-glutamyl transferase, plasma glucose, haptoglobin, serum non-esterified fatty acids, total protein, transferrin, triglycerides, urea and gamma globulin; the haematological variables measured were: basophils, eosinophils, haematocrit, haemoglobin, lymphocytes, mean cell haemoglobin, mean cell haemoglobin concentration, mean cell volume, monocytes, band neutrophils, neutrophils, platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells. The changes are presented as a series of graphs and the values are discussed in relation to the published reference ranges for adult cattle. Two populations of calves were identified which gave rise to a bimodal distribution for some of the variables. Differences in haematocrit, haemoglobin and red blood cell counts were apparent at birth, with raised values for these measurements being associated with an increased white blood cell and neutrophil count between three and 27 days of age.

Twenty-four castrated male cattle aged between 12 and 18 months were transported by road for five, 10 or 15 hours, over distances of 286, 536 and 738 km. Half the animals were of Hereford x Friesian breeding and half of 'continental' type. The animals transported for five hours lost 4.6 per cent of their bodyweight, those transported for 10 hours lost 6.5 per cent and those transported for 15 hours lost 7.0 per cent; recovery to pre-transport values took five days. There was little evidence from changes in blood composition that a 15-hour journey was more stressful than a 10-hour journey. The cortisol concentrations were increased by the stresses of loading and the first part of the journey but then recovered as the journey continued. Creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activities increased progressively with the longer journeys and CPK, urea, albumin and osmolality levels recovered more slowly after the longer journeys. Increases in free fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate and urea concentrations and the continued increase in urea levels after the end of the journeys suggested that the animals' normal pattern of feeding was disrupted. Increases in albumin, total plasma protein and osmolality indicated slight dehydration during transit which was quickly rectified by access to water. The two breed types responded similarly to transport, except that the increases in CPK were greater in the continental breeds, possibly as a result of their greater muscularity or greater sensitivity to stress. Based on the physiological measurements made and the subjective observations of behaviour a 15-hour transport period under good conditions is not unacceptable from the viewpoint of animal welfare.

Background: The current investigation surveyed genetic polymorphism at the ovine GDF8 locus and determined its contribution to variation in muscling and fatness in sheep.

The physiological and behavioural effects on cattle of transporting them for periods of 14, 21, 26 and 31 hours, including a stop for a rest and drink on the lorry after 14 hours, were studied in 120 transported animals and 48 control animals. The physiological measurements indicated that a journey lasting 31 hours was not excessively physically demanding, but many of the animals chose to lie down after approximately 24 hours. The animals that lay down had higher plasma cortisol levels than those that remained standing. Many animals chose not to drink during the rest stop. Physiological measurements made after the journeys indicated that 24 hours in lairage, with hay and water freely available, allowed the animals to recover substantially, although not completely, irrespective of the journey time.

Five groups of 20 slaughter sheep of approximately 37.9 kg liveweight were transported by road for either three, nine, 15, 18 or 24 hours and three groups were not transported, one of them being deprived of food and water for 24 hours. Before and after transport the liveweight and various blood variables were measured and heart rate and behavioural observations were recorded from subsets of the animals. With increased journey time there was a decrease in liveweight and an increase in the plasma levels of free fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate and urea; however, the changes over 24 hours were similar to those in the group deprived of food and water. In the transported sheep, the heart rate and levels of plasma cortisol and glucose were increased by the stresses of loading and the initial stages of the journey, but after nine hours the sheep appeared, to some extent, to have adapted. They were able to lie down and did not appear to be physically stressed. Measurements of plasma osmolality, total plasma protein and albumin did not indicate that the sheep had become severely dehydrated after 24 hours of transport but upon their return, feeding and drinking activity was greater than that observed before the journey.