Effects of alternative bedding substrates on lamb welfare, productive performance, and meat quality during the finishing phase of fattening

Abstract

Keywords:bedding substrates welfare social behaviors stereotypies meat quality a b s t r a c tThe study analyzed the effect of using sawdust, cellulose, straw, and rice husk bedding on the welfare, performance and meat quality of lambs during the finishing phase of fattening. Ninety-six lambs (fed ad libitum with concentrate) were assigned to pens containing 1 of 4 bedding materials in groups of 12 for 14 days. Live weight and feed consumption were recorded to estimate daily gain and conversion index, and carcass and meat quality variables were measured. Stereotypies, exploratory interactions with bedding material, and agonistic and affiliative interactions between animals were recorded by continuous sampling techniques using video recording. The substrates affected behavior and stress response variables. There were more stereotypies and agonistic interactions at the beginning of the experiment in all treatments (P 0.05). The lambs fattened on cellulose bedding interacted more with the substrate throughout the finishing stage (P 0.05), where there were also more affiliative interactions (P 0.05). Stress levels were lower in lambs on straw, followed by cellulose. No significant differences in production or carcass and meat quality traits were observed between treatments. The results suggest that all substrates evaluated could be efficiently incorporated into the system as bedding material without affecting productivity or product quality.

The effect of two housing systems on productive performance of hair-type crossbreed lambs in sub-humid tropics of Mexico

“…Under this condition the ewes and lambs prefer expose their head outside of the pen looking for fresh air. Some authors have reported a negative relationship between lamb stereotypes frequency and productive performance (Aguayo-Ulloa et al 2015aTeixeira et al 2015). In the present trial, the welfare of the lambs was not evaluated.…”

“…In the present trial, the welfare of the lambs was not evaluated. It is important to evaluate the effect of the housing (RFC and FP) on animal welfare, to know the behavioural and physiological profiles associated with the stress of the animals during the fattening period, as reported by some authors (Teixeira et al 2012(Teixeira et al , 2015Aguayo-Ulloa et al 2015aPascualAlonso et al 2015). Is it possible to improve the performance of the lambs in RFC system if the stoking pen is increased or if the environment is enriched?…”

“…Miranda de la using cereal straw as bedding found an increase on affiliation behaviour of lambs which promote better adaptation to the feedlot. Teixeira et al (2015) using sawdust, cellulose, cereal straw and rice husk as bedding found an improved behavior and decreased animal stress, but, there were not any effects on lamb performance. Recent trials had proved the positive benefit of the enrichment of environment using beddings, bunks, wooden ramps or wooden screen with flaps on lamb welfare (Aguayo-Ulloa et al 2014), final live weight and carcass conformation scores (Aguayo-Ulloa et al 2015a.…”

“…In temperate regions of the world, the enrichment of environment in lamb fattening systems was developed to solve the problem of humidity and chill in pens and to reduce the stress of lambs during fattening periods (Gordon & Cockram, 1995;Tuyttens, 2005;Bøe et al 2007;Teixeira et al 2012;Pascual-Alonso et al 2015). Improving facilities in lamb fattening systems allowed a cleaner and dryer environment, less exposure to pathogens, reduced energy expenditure and better comfort leading to higher animal production (Lupton et al 2007;Hernández-Cortazar et al 2014;Aguayo-Ulloa et al 2014Teixeira et al 2015). Using straw for bedding in animal production under confinement is a common practice in temperate regions (Faerevik et al 2005;Tuyttens, 2005;Teixeira et al 2013;De et al 2015), but in sheep production, the cost of the straw is the major constraint to keep using it (Wolf et al 2010;Teixeira et al 2014).…”

Mejoras zootécnicas orientadas a la rentabilización de la utilización de corderos de razas lecheras en el mercado cárnico

“…Esto favorece la utilización de materiales absorbentes como la paja en solera [17]. Teixeira, et al [18] utilizaron otros materiales como serrín o cáscara de arroz en el suelo, sin obtener diferencias en el rendimiento de los corderos. Muñoz-Osorio, et al [19] compararon un sistema de slat de plástico o metal con un suelo de hormigón para engorde de corderos machos en intensivo, registrando mayores rendimientos productivos cuando se empleó el slat, si bien con una fuerte dependencia de otros factores (alimentación, condiciones climáticas, etc.…”