Effect of temperament of ewes on their maternal ability and their lambs’ postweaning traits in Tsigai breed

Abstract

The aims of present study were to investigate the relationship between temperament score and cortisol and lactic acid levels of blood, as well as the effect of temperament on the maternal ability traits (milk production, lamb preweaning gain) and the postweaning growth of lambs in Tsigai breed. The temperament of thirty-one Tsigai ewes was scored by the temperament score test (behaviour of animals was assessed in a 5-score system (1: calm, 5: nervous) while spending 30 s on the scale during weighing), in addition, the cortisol level and the lactic acid concentration of blood were measured at weaning. The weaning weight, temperament, cortisol concentration, the pre-and the postweaning weight gain of lambs were also investigated in this study. The cortisol level and lactic acid concentration were highly related to the temperament scores of ewes (r rank =0.79, P<0.001; r rank =0.53, P<0.01). The calmer ewes had a lower cortisol (1.79 nmol/l, P<0.001) and lactic acid (1.87 mmol/l, P<0.01) concentration compared to the results of nervous ewes (5.35 nmol/l, 3.11 mmol/l, resp.). It was statistically proven (P<0.01) that the calm ewes' lambs had higher preweaning weight gain (244.0 g/day) and weaning weight (22.0 kg) than nervous animals (201.7 g/day, 18.1 kg). In addition, the calm ewes milked by hand produced more milk (52.4 l, P<0.05) than nervous ewes (46.1 l) in the milking period. Furthermore, the calm ewes' lambs had lower temperament score and cortisol concentration and better fattening performance than lambs were originated from nervous ewes.Keywords: temperament, cortisol concentration, lamb rearing, milk production, Tsigai Zusammenfassung Einfluss des Temperamentes von Zackelschafen auf ihre Mütterlichkeit und die Aufzuchtleistung ihrer Lämmer nach dem AbsetzenUntersucht wurden bei 31 Zackelschafmüttern deren Temperament, die Kortisol-und Milchsäurekonzentration des Blutes sowie die Muttereigenschaften beurteilt nach der Milchleistung, der Lebenstagszunahme der Lämmer vor und nach dem Absetzen dieser. Sowohl die Blutkennwerte als auch der Temperamenttest der Mütter und Lämmer erfolgte bei der Tierwägung, wobei in einem Zeitraum von 30 Sekunden das Verhalten nach einem 5-Punktesystem (1=ruhig, 5=nervös) bewertet wurde. Sowohl bei der Kortisol-als auch der Milchsäurekonzentration ergaben sich bei den Müttern signifikante Rangkorrelationen zu den Temperamentpunktzahlen (r rank =0,79 bzw. r rank =0,53). Die Kortosol-bzw. MilchArchiv Tierzucht 53 (2010)

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