COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MATERNAL AND NEONATAL BEHAVIOUR IN SOME EGYPTIAN SHEEP AND GOATS BREEDS | ||||
| Journal of Animal and Poultry Production | ||||
| Article 8, Volume 30, Issue 12, December 2005, Page 7367-7384 PDF (4.8 MB) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/jappmu.2005.238449 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
| A. Y. Abdel- Moneim,; M. S. Abd-Alla; G. M. Ashmawi | ||||
| Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt. | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Thirty three ewes (10 Ossimi, 11 Barki and 12 Rahmani) with their lambs and eighteen does (10 Zaraibi, 5 Damascus and 3 Alpine) with their kids were used to compare between sheep and goats in different maternal and neonatal behaviour displays. Displays were recorded at three phases, a) during the first hour after birth, b) at one week after parturition and c) at two months after parturition. Animals belonged to the sheep and goat farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University. At first hour after birth, does were physically more efficient at parturition than ewes. Ewes took 1.3 min more than does to expel foetus after appearance of head at the vaginal orifice. Ewes stood for the first time after delivery, 10.5 min later than does. Does began sniffing and licking their kids 1.5 min before ewes did. However, sheep seem to exnibit expression of maternal behaviour more than goats. Compared with does, ewes spent longer time and performed more repeated licking to their lambs, more time and greater number of nursing bouts. Moreover, ewes achieved more care giving displays (higher rate of low - pitched bleats) and less repeated searching behaviour for lambs (lower rate of high - pitched bleats) than does. During one hour whether after the 1 st week of birth or at 2 months after parturition, ewes spent more time and frequency of licking the lamb's body, more time and number of nursing bouts than does did. Furthermore, does rejected their kids more frequently than ewes did. It was generally observed that maternal and neonatal behaviours gradually faded throughout the 2nd and 3'd phases. The attained results revealed that the mother - young attachment in sheep is stronger than in goats. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Ewes; does; maternal displays; neonatal acts; sniffing; licking; low - pitched bleats; high - pitched bleats | ||||
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