The influence of the number of lambs present on the suckling behaviour of triplet-rearing ewes at pasture

Abstract

This study examined the suckling behaviour of triplet-rearing ewes for three days post-parturition. Twenty-six ewes were enrolled with 11 being observed for the entire 3-days post-lambing. The behaviour of the ewe, number of lambs present at the end of the event and the behaviour that terminated the event were recorded for each suckling event. The mean suckling event duration increased when additional lambs were present at the end of the suckling event. Ewes that had observations across all three days showed no change in the number of suckling events over time, but suckling events tended to be shorter on day 3 than on days 1 or 2. On day 1 more suckling events were terminated by the ewe walking away from her lambs than on days 2 and 3. The odds of a ewe walking away to terminate the suckling event were greater when three lambs were present compared with two. Ewes showed more inactive behaviours when more lambs were present at the end of the suckling event. The results partially supported the hypothesis that the ewe would be more likely to terminate a suckling event when three lambs were attempting to suck compared with one or two lambs.