Thermophysiological, haematological, biochemical and behavioural stress responses of sheep transported on road

Abstract

SummaryThe study was conducted to evaluate the thermophysiological, haematological, biochemical and behavioural stress responses of sheep transported on road. A total of 44 Chamarita breed adult ewes were randomly allotted to one of two groups, one control group (untransported) and transported group (journey of 4 h), and blood stress indicators were measured 1 day before transport and at four time points post-transport (0, 4 and 24 h). Thermophysiological profiles of ewes were measured by temperature buttons (iButton Thermochron â ) and placed in intravaginal sponges. Direct observations, with a combination of scan and behaviour sampling, were carried out to collect information on individual behaviour and the time it took the ewes to drink water, eat and rest after returning to their pen respectively. Transported ewes lost approximately 1 kg live weight compared to controls and had higher body temperatures until 12 h post-transport. Cortisol, glucose, non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations as well as the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (N/L) and other physiological indicators were higher immediately after unloading in transported ewes but mostly returned to normal after 4 h, with complete recovery after 24 h. Behavioural analysis post-transport demonstrated that transported ewes chose to eat before drinking and spent less time resting than controls in the first 3 h after unloading. The study demonstrates that transportation even under short-journey conditions induced behavioural, physiological and thermophysiological responses indicative of the induction of significant stress, leading to live weight shrinkage that may jeopardize farmer's incomes. Finally, results of this study validated the use of iButton Thermochron â data loggers for monitoring the stress response during transport.

Long-distance transport of hair lambs: effect of location in pot-belly trailers on thermo-physiology, welfare and meat quality

“…Inspired by precision agriculture, precision livestock transport is a developing field, with an increased used of sensor technology (Pascual-Alonso et al 2016). Our study has shown that iButton Thermochron® are useful to measure body temperature in lambs under commercial conditions.…”

“…Recently, the iButton Thermochron® have been used to record body temperatures via surgical implantations, insertion into the gastrointestinal tract or insertion in the ear canal in wildlife (Roznik and Alford 2012). Recently, iButtons have been validated in sheep to monitor the stress response during road transportation (Pascual-Alonso et al 2016). Stress can reduce the fitness of an animal, which can be expressed through failure to achieve production performance standards, reduced health, or detrimental effects on the product quality (Rostagno, 2009).…”

Influence of rearing conditions on reproduction, growth, milk yield and quality of meat and milk of sheep and goats

“…Sheep housed in stables immediately before transport are less susceptible to stress or increased corticosteroid concentrations. However, sheep caught and loaded into a trailer directly on pasture show a greater reaction (Miranda-de la Lama et al, 2012;Pascual-Alonso et al, 2017).…”

Pre-slaughter cattle welfare indicators for use in commercial abattoirs with voluntary monitoring systems: A systematic review

“…At slaughter, however, measuring the heart or respiratory rate is not feasible, although the latter could be calculated indirectly based on body temperature (using a thermographic camera for example). Stressors can cause a short-lived increase in core body temperature in ruminants, which can be measured easily (Pascual-Alonso et al, 2017). There have been a number of recent studies using Infra-Red Thermography (IRT) for disease and welfare surveillance of livestock.…”