A modified barrier test can be used to assess breed differences in lamb vigour

Abstract

<p>The ability of lambs to respond to the ewe in the early neonatal period is important for subsequent lamb survival. This experiment used a modified barrier test to assess lamb vigour in two breeds known to differ in other methods of measuring vigour and at different ages (4h and 10h of age). It was found that Scottish Blackface lambs performed better in the test than Suffolk lambs with more Blackface lambs reaching the ewe (25.4% vs 8.5%). Older lambs reached the ewe more quickly (88.87s vs 150.94s). This test may provide an alternative measure of lamb vigour in terms of the ability of lambs to make contact with the ewe as it can be done at an early age and it does not require the presence of the dam.</p>