Housing conditions and management practices associated with neonatal lamb mortality in sheep flocks in Norway

Holmøy, Ingrid Hunter; Kielland, Camilla; Stubsjøen, Solveig Marie; Hektoen, L.; Waage, S.

doi:10.1016/j.prevetmed.2012.06.007

Cited by 40 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…This is in agreement with results of Matos et al (1993), who found that males and females have similar survival rates, but it does not agree with previous studies both in wool (Sawalha et al, 2007;Hatcher et al, 2009;Everett-Hincks et al, 2014) and hair sheep (Holmøy et al, 2012;Hinch and Brien, 2014), where male lambs had higher mortality than females. Contrary to the above-mentioned studies, Atashi et al (2013) found that Iranian male lambs showed higher survival rate than females.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Growth and pre-weaning mortality of Katahdin lamb crosses

Mellado

Macías

Avendaño

et al. 2016

Rev Colomb Cienc Pecu

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SummaryBackground: Katahdin breed sheep is highly disseminated in Mexico. This breed and its crosses have recently gained attention among sheep producers. However, research with crosses between Katahdin and other meat breeds is limited. Objective: to evaluate the genetic and non-genetic factors affecting growth and mortality rate of crossbred lambs from Katahdin ewes fecundated with breeds specialized for meat production. Methods: crossbred lambs (n = 152) from Katahdin ewes sired with Hampshire (KH; n = 43), Texel (KT; n = 53) or Charolais (KCH; n = 56) were evaluated under intensive management conditions. The effects of genotype and non-genetic factors on birth weight, weaning weight, pre-weaning daily weight gain, and mortality rate were determined. Results: breed differences were not detected for birth weight (4 ± 1.1, 4.3 ± 0.9 and 4 ± 1.1 Kg for KCH, KH, KT, respectively), nor for the 60-d weaning weight (20.2 ± 4.3, 20.9 ± 4.3, 18.2 ± 4.2 Kg for KCH, KH, KT, respectively). Weight of lambs did not differ significantly between sexes, but it decreased (p<0.05) with increased litter size (weaning weight at 60 days for single, twins and triplets was 24.5 ± 2.6, 19.2 ± 3.5, and 14.3 ± 3.8 Kg, respectively). Pre-weaning mortality of KH lambs was 13.3% and it was significantly lower than that of the other genotypes (24.5 and 39.3% for KT and KCH, respectively). Conclusion: inclusion of Charolais, Hampshire or Texel rams in Katahdin flocks results in similar lamb weaning weight, but Hampshire-sired progeny excels regarding pre-weaning survival.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Growth and pre-weaning mortality of Katahdin lamb crosses

Mellado

Macías

Avendaño

et al. 2016

Rev Colomb Cienc Pecu

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“…These studies will address whether the same issues, risk factors and causes are apparent on farm as have been addressed in experimental studies. Neonatal lamb mortality differs considerably among flocks (Binns et al, 2002;Forrest et al, 2006;Holmøy et al, 2012), with variations between 0% and 20% seen between flocks. Flock mortality rates were strongly correlated between years (Binns et al, 2002;Holmøy and Waage, personal communication), suggesting that flock level risk factors are important.…”

Section: Farm and Management Influences Affecting Survivalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For indoor flocks, lamb mortality rates are lower where there is continuous monitoring (Holmøy et al, 2012). Likewise, mortality is higher in larger flocks (>900 lambing ewes; Binns et al, 2002).…”

Section: Flock and Management Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, flocks where tube feeding is routine had increased neonatal mortality compared with flocks where assistance with suckling was the routine intervention (Holmøy et al, 2012). These differences may be associated with the increased risk of infection with tube feeding, or the role of sucking in behavioural interactions as described above.…”

Section: Flock and Management Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invited review: Improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: science into practice

Dwyer

Conington

Corbière

et al. 2016

Animal

161

104

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Neonatal mortality in small ruminant livestock has remained stubbornly unchanging over the past 40 years, and represents a significant loss of farm income, contributes to wastage and affects animal welfare. Scientific knowledge about the biology of neonatal adaptation after birth has been accumulating but does not appear to have had an impact in improving survival. In this paper, we ask what might be the reasons for the lack of impact of the scientific studies of lamb and kid mortality, and suggest strategies to move forward. Biologically, it is clear that achieving a good intake of colostrum, as soon as possible after birth, is crucial for neonatal survival. This provides fuel for thermoregulation, passive immunological protection and is involved in the development of attachment between the ewe and lamb. The behaviour of the lamb in finding the udder and sucking rapidly after birth is a key component in ensuring sufficient colostrum is ingested. In experimental studies, the main risk factors for lamb mortality are low birthweight, particularly owing to poor maternal nutrition during gestation, birth difficulty, litter size and genetics, which can all be partly attributed to their effect on the speed with which the lamb reaches the udder and sucks. Similarly, on commercial farms, low birthweight and issues with sucking were identified as important contributors to mortality. In epidemiological studies, management factors such as providing assistance with difficult births, were found to be more important than risk factors associated with housing. Social science studies suggest that farmers generally have a positive attitude to improving neonatal mortality but may differ in beliefs about how this can be achieved, with some farmers believing they had no control over early lamb mortality. Facilitative approaches, where farmers and advisors work together to develop neonatal survival strategies, have been shown to be effective in achieving management goals, such as optimising ewe nutrition, that lead to reductions in lamb mortality. We conclude that scientific research is providing useful information on the biology underpinning neonatal survival, such as optimal birthweights, lamb vigour and understanding the importance of sufficient colostrum intake, but the transfer of that knowledge would benefit from an improved understanding of the psychology of management change on farm. Developing tailored solutions, on the basis of adequate farm records, that make use of the now substantial body of scientific literature on neonatal mortality will help to achieve lower neonatal mortality.Keywords: neonatal mortality, sheep, goat, knowledge transfer ImplicationsResearch into neonatal mortality of small ruminants has addressed relevant biological issues and provided practical solutions to some of the issues (such as improving ewe nutrition and ensuring adequate colostrum intakes). There is, however, more that could be done in transferring this information into practice, and application of social science methods to address barriers...

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“…According to a comprehensive survey, every lambing was supervised on 83% of the farms (Holmøy et al, 2012). To provide evidence-based recommendations on the prevention of neonatal mortality to sheep farmers with a similar management system, knowledge of the causes of death and their relative importance is crucial.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Early neonatal lamb mortality: postmortem findings

Holmøy

Waage

Granquist

et al. 2017

Animal

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An investigation of stillbirth and early neonatal lamb mortality was conducted in sheep flocks in Norway. Knowledge of actual causes of death are important to aid the interpretation of results obtained during studies assessing the risk factors for lamb mortality, and when tailoring preventive measures at the flock, ewe and individual lamb level. This paper reports on the postmortem findings in 270 liveborn lambs that died during the first 5 days after birth. The lambs were from 17 flocks in six counties. A total of 27% died within 3 h after birth, 41% within 24 h and 80% within 2 days. Most lambs (62%) were from triplet or higher order litters. In 81% of twin and larger litters, only one lamb died. The most frequently identified cause of neonatal death was infectious disease (n = 97, 36%); 48% (n = 47) of these died from septicaemia, 25% (n = 24) from pneumonia, 22% (n = 21) from gastrointestinal infections and 5% (n = 5) from other infections. Escherichia coli accounted for 65% of the septicaemic cases, and were the most common causal agent obtained from all cases of infection (41%). In total, 14% of neonatal deaths resulted from infection by this bacterium. Traumatic lesions were the primary cause of death in 20% (n = 53) of the lambs. A total of 46% of these died within 3 h after birth and 66% within 24 h. Severe congenital malformations were found in 10% (n = 27) of the lambs, whereas starvation with no concurrent lesions was the cause of death in 6% (n = 17). In 16% (n = 43) of the lambs, no specific cause of death was identified, lambs from triplet and higher order litters being overrepresented among these cases. In this study, the main causes of neonatal lamb mortality were infection and traumatic lesions. Most neonatal deaths occurred shortly after birth, suggesting that events related to lambing and the immediate post-lambing period are critical for lamb survival.

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Housing conditions and management practices associated with neonatal lamb mortality in sheep flocks in Norway

Cited by 40 publications

References 30 publications

Growth and pre-weaning mortality of Katahdin lamb crosses

Growth and pre-weaning mortality of Katahdin lamb crosses

Invited review: Improving neonatal survival in small ruminants: science into practice

Early neonatal lamb mortality: postmortem findings

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