Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20037
Title: Characterising activities of free-ranging Merino ewes before, during and after lambing from GNSS data
Contributor(s): Dobos, Robin C  (author)orcid ; Taylor, D B  (author); Trotter, M G  (author); McCorkell, B E (author); Schneider, Derek  (author)orcid ; Hinch, Geoffrey  (author)orcid 
Publication Date: 2015
DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2015.06.017
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/20037
Abstract: Tracking the movement of grazing Merino ewes using Global Navigational Satellite Systems (GNSS) provided data which could be used to determine the behavioural characteristics exhibited during different physiological states and times-within-day. GNSS location and the resulting movement calculations from five foraging Merino ewes of known lambing date were partitioned into four different 24. h physiological states (PS): (1) seven days before lambing (L - 7), (2) day of lambing (L), (3) three days after lambing (L + 3) and (4) seven days after lambing (L + 7). Within each of these four PS the data were further partitioned into three time-within-day (TWD) intervals based on behavioural patterns: (1) 0500 to 1159. h morning foraging; (2) 1200 to 1859. h afternoon foraging and (3) 1900 to 0459. h night camping. Ewe locations were recorded at 10. min intervals over a 43 day period. Distances moved (m) and rates of travel (m/s) were analysed to characterise free-ranging ewe spatio-temporal activities within the four PS and three TWD periods. Physiological state and TWD had significant (P <. 0.001) effects on mean distance moved by ewes but there was no two-way interaction (P > 0.05). Ewe rate of travel was significantly (P <. 0.001) affected by PS and TWD and there was a significant (P <. 0.01) two-way interaction. Ewes at L spent 13.2% less time foraging than ewes in other PS (mean 53.2%), while time spent in stationary behaviour accounted for 59.5% and ewes in other PS spent a mean of 45.2% of their time stationary. Distance moved and rate of travel during foraging were significantly (P < 0.001) affected by PS and TWD. GNSS collars were satisfactory to characterise behaviour of foraging Merino ewes at different PS and TWD. However, using ewe behaviour alone to identify when lambing occurs may not be a satisfactory husbandry option.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Small Ruminant Research, v.131, p. 12-16
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Place of Publication: Netherlands
ISSN: 0921-4488
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 070203 Animal Management
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 300302 Animal management
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 830310 Sheep - Meat
830311 Sheep - Wool
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 100412 Sheep for meat
100413 Sheep for wool
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

Files in This Item:
2 files
File Description SizeFormat 
Show full item record

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

17
checked on Mar 9, 2024

Page view(s)

1,614
checked on Feb 11, 2024
Google Media

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in Research UNE are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.