The shelter requirements of the new-born lamb
A.R. Sykes
Lincoln College, Canterbury
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production.
1982, 42: 7-12
Surveys of peri-natal mortality attribute 25 to 30% of lamb
deaths to starvation/exposure, base don exhaustion of visible fat
reserves. The ability of the new-born lamb to prevent this loss of body
reserves depends on a complex series of relationships involving capacity
for thermogenesis in relation to heat loss and ability to secure
adequate further resources of energy in milk. Heat production and loss
in lambs are described and values for the lower critical temperatures of
lambs derived. The immediate per-natal responses and differences
between breeds are discussed in relation to survival. The derivation of
effective ambient temperature and its use in assessing shelter
requirements of lambs are discussed. Animal behaviour and practical
matters are considered.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
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Last Updated 03-05-1997
