Panting scores as a measure of heat stress evaluation in sheep with access and with no access to shade

Marcone, Giovanni; Kaart, Tanel; Piirsalu, Peep; Arney, David

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105350

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…This may potentially be due to increased passive heat losses from available body surface area ( Knowles et al, 1998 ), facilitated by lying in physical isolation and with outstretched legs. For comparison, the provision of shade for sheep housed outdoors at a dry-bulb temperature of 30 °C has been estimated to reduce RR by approximately 60 bpm ( Marcone et al, 2021 ). While the study by Marcone et al (2021) was conducted in a vastly different experimental setting (i.e., outdoors), their interpretation of the reduction in respiration rate remains relevant.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For comparison, the provision of shade for sheep housed outdoors at a dry-bulb temperature of 30 °C has been estimated to reduce RR by approximately 60 bpm ( Marcone et al, 2021 ). While the study by Marcone et al (2021) was conducted in a vastly different experimental setting (i.e., outdoors), their interpretation of the reduction in respiration rate remains relevant. These authors concluded that the shaded sheep (which had lower respiration rates) were less heat-stressed ( Marcone et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of stocking density on behavior and biological functioning of penned sheep under continuous heat load conditions

Mayes

Taylor

Cowley

et al. 2023

Journal of Animal Science

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Stocking density may impact sheep welfare during live export voyages that occur under hot and humid conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the welfare implications for sheep housed at three allometric stocking densities (k = 0.030, 0.033, 0.042), while exposed to hot and humid climatic conditions. For 21 d, Merino wethers (n = 216) were housed in 12 pens of 18 wethers, in two climate-controlled rooms where wet-bulb temperature (TWB) mimicked the conditions of a live export voyage with high heat and humidity, and limited diurnal variation. Scan sampling of standing and lying behaviours were conducted on d 2, 5, 8, 11, 15, 18 and 20, at hourly intervals. Agonistic interactions were scored continuously on the same days between 1750 and 1800 h. Liveweights were recorded at the start and end of the study. For a subset of focal wethers (3 per pen), whole blood variables were assessed at the start and end of the experiment, along with faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGCM), which were also assessed on d 7 and 14. Rumen temperatures (TRUM) of focal wethers were recorded at 10-min intervals, and their respiration rates (RR) were measured every 2 h on d 1, 3, and from d 7 to 21. Focal wethers were slaughtered for necropsy after the study, and both adrenal glands were excised and weighed. The expression of some lying positions was impaired at high stocking densities, and lying with outstretched legs increased at high TWB. For respiration rates, there was an interaction between stocking density and TWB, such that RR were reduced by the provision of additional space at high TWB. TRUM was relatively unaffected by stocking density but increased at higher TWB, and any effects of stocking density on FGCM concentrations, liveweights (LW), adrenal gland weights or blood variables were minimal. Necropsy examination showed no indication that the wethers had experienced ongoing respiratory distress. These results suggest that the wethers were able to cope with these increases in stocking density under the conditions imposed. However, based on this evidence, the provision of additional space under hot conditions may be beneficial to facilitating the expression of some lying positions. Whilst the experiment was designed to emulate certain conditions relevant during live export voyages, other factors that may induce stress during this mode of transport were not present, and so the conclusions must be interpreted in the context of the experimental conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of stocking density on behavior and biological functioning of penned sheep under continuous heat load conditions

Mayes

Taylor

Cowley

et al. 2023

Journal of Animal Science

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“…Although in extensive systems actual housing is very limited or even absent, the provision of shade or shelter from wind, rain, or snow should be considered as the lack may result in very poor welfare, particularly for young animals. Providing some sort of shelter, whether for feeding or for protection from climate extremes, will result in higher welfare levels [ 40 , 41 ]. However, the extension and type of landscape in which these animals are generally kept may preclude the building of such shelters [ 24 ].…”

Section: Sheep and Goat Extensive Production Systems: The Importance ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare

Silva

Sacarrão-Birrento

Almeida

et al. 2022

Animals

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Sheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems, there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context. An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability. The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects, but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments, in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with current concerns with the environment and welfare.

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“…Polli et al [ 26 ] reported that in the southern region of Brazil, lambs exposed to a mean temperature of 23.4 °C experienced heat stress for 27.7% more of the total confinement time compared to lambs at a mean temperature of 14.9 °C. It is also important to note that the thermoregulatory mechanisms required to reverse adverse effects of heat stress eventually become detrimental to the overall performance of sheep [ 27 , 28 , 29 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioclimatic Zoning for Sheep Farming through Geostatistical Modeling in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil

Marinho

Pandorfi

Silva

et al. 2023

Animals

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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed out the high vulnerability of developing countries to climate change, which is expected to impact food and income security. Sheep farming is one of the main animal productions among the families located in the most vulnerable regions of the semiarid region of Pernambuco state, a Brazilian territory known for its high temperatures, low relative humidity, and high net solar radiation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify different regions of Pernambuco that may be more suitable for different breeds of sheep, based on non-parametric statistics and kriging maps of the temperature and humidity index (THI). THI values were determined based on mean annual temperature and wind speed extracted from the TerraClimate remote sensing database. Pernambuco state presented THI values ranging from 66 to 79, with the hair breeds having a high potential for exploitation in almost all territories, including the main meat-producing breeds. The East Friesian breed, a high milk producer, would be well suited to the Agreste mesoregion, a territory that, like the Pajeú and Moxotó microregions, also proved favorable for the introduction of three wool breeds (Suffolk, Poll Dorset, and Texel) known as major meat producers. The kriging maps of the THI values successfully allowed the identification of strategic development regions of Pernambuco state with high potential for sheep breeding.

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Panting scores as a measure of heat stress evaluation in sheep with access and with no access to shade

Cited by 18 publications

References 26 publications

The effects of stocking density on behavior and biological functioning of penned sheep under continuous heat load conditions

The effects of stocking density on behavior and biological functioning of penned sheep under continuous heat load conditions

Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare

Bioclimatic Zoning for Sheep Farming through Geostatistical Modeling in the State of Pernambuco, Brazil

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