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Research on emotions in farm animals has increasingly contributed to their welfare. We aimed to study behavioral and body temperature responses of dorper and white dorper sheep regularly brushed on their ventral neck, lateral chest, and withers. We performed 3-minute assessments in prebrushing, brushing, and postbrushing phases. Vocalization, ear postures and changes, half-closed eyes, and tail wagging were assessed. We also recorded withers (Tw), anal (Ta), and nasal (Tn) temperatures with an infrared thermometer. Vocalization was infrequent throughout the phases. We identified 3 ear postures frequently performed by the animals: raised up (R), horizontal (H), and backward (B). We noted a longer duration of R rather than H posture before brushing than during brushing. By comparing B and H, we observed that dorper sheep performed the B posture for longer, mainly during than postbrushing. When B and R were compared, sheep expressed the B posture for longer during brushing than both prebrushing and postbrushing phases; dorpers and male sheep also performed the B posture for longer. The results suggest higher performance of B and H postures during the stimulus and that their expression might be associated with a positive, relaxing state of the animals. No significant result was found for ear changes. Sheep showed half-closed eyes mainly in brushing and postbrushing phases, in comparison with the prebrushing phase, indicating that brushing might have elicited a relaxing state in the animals, which might have persisted after the stimulus. Only 4 male sheep wagged their tails, mostly when brushed. We also noted attention-seeking behaviors, including following the observer, leaning against the brush with the head or neck, and stretching the neck when brushed. The results on body temperatures indicated higher variance for Tw in relation to Tn and Ta, which had similar variances. Pairwise comparisons indicated that Tw was higher in postbrushing than in the prebrushing phase; Tn was also higher in the postbrushing phase than in both prebrushing and brushing phases, suggesting an increase in Tw and Tn temperatures after the stimulus. No significant differences were reported for Ta. Brushing might have elicited a positive state in sheep. Ear postures and half-closed eyes may be useful tools for assessing emotions in sheep, as well as withers and nasal temperatures. Furthermore, breed may be a highly significant effect on the expression of ear postures in sheep.

We investigated self-reported attitudes of 148 South Brazilian sheep farmers to animal welfare and sentience. Many farmers (73.0%) knew animal welfare superficially. Farmers that worked for longer in the sheep industry and that raised sheep for commercial purposes mentioned more commonly that they had knowledge about animal welfare (P

Objetivou-se estimar os coeficientes de herdabilidade e correlação genética entre os pesos ao nascer (PN) e à desmama (PD) de cordeiros mestiços Suffolk, pertencentes a rebanho experimental. Assim, foram testados quatro modelos, os quais consideraram o efeito genético aditivo direto (Modelo 1), os efeitos genético direto e de ambiente permanente materno (Modelo 2), os efeitos aditivo direto, de ambiente permanente e genético materno (cov a,m=0) (Modelo 3), e no Modelo 4, além daqueles contemplados no Modelo 3, foi considerada cov a,m≠0. Após comparar os modelos por meio do teste de razão de verossimilhança (LRT), observou-se que o 3 foi o mais adequado, sendo que as estimativas de herdabilidade foram de baixa magnitude para PN e PD, iguais a 0,08±0,009 e 0,24±0,17, respectivamente, indicando pequena possibilidade de resposta à seleção direta. Da mesma maneira, o coeficiente de correlação genética entre estas características foi 0,43±0,39, resultado que implica pequena possibilidade de resposta correlacionada. A inclusão dos efeitos maternos é necessária para a estimação adequada de parâmetros genéticos para as características avaliadas. The aim of this study was to estimate the heritability and genetic correlation coefficients between weights at birth (BW) and weaning (WW) in Suffolk crossbred lambs, which belonged to an experimental herd. Thus, four different animal models were fitted, including the direct additive genetic effect (Model 1), the direct additive genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects (Model 2), the direct additive, permanent environmental and maternal genetic effects (cov a,m=0) (Model 3), and in Model 4, in addition to those in Model 3, cov a,m≠0 was considered. After comparing the models through the likelihood ratio test (LRT), Model 3 was chosen as the most appropriate, being the heritability estimates low in magnitude for BW and WW, equal to 0.08±0.009 and 0.24±0.17, respectively, which indicates low possibility of response to direct selection. Likewise, the correlation coefficient between these traits, 0.43±0.39, implies low possibility of correlated response. The inclusion of maternal effects is necessary for the accurate estimation of genetic parameters for the evaluated traits.

Objetivou-se estimar as correlações fenotípicas (r) entre os escores comportamentais de reatividade aplicados durante e após a pesagem e os ganhos médios diários de peso (GMD) de cordeiros cruzados Suffolk x Île-de-France, aos 30, 60 e 90 dias de idade, bem como estudar o efeito da habituação dos animais ao manejo. As variáveis avaliadas por meio de escores foram: interferência do avaliador para o animal entrar na balança (INT), vocalização (VOC), movimentação (MOV), tensão (TEN), movimentos exploratórios (ME), postura de orelhas (ORE) e o teste de tipos de marcha (TM). Os resultados das correlações de Spearman obtidos entre os escores indicam que VOC, MOV e TEN podem ser consideradas como características importantes na expressão da reatividade de ovinos em ambiente de restrição. Já o GMD parece não estar associado com a reatividade dos cordeiros avaliados. Por fim, aos 90 dias de idade, os cordeiros apresentaram-se menos reativos, em função do aprendizado por habituação The aim of this study was to estimate the phenotypic correlations (r) between behavioral reactivity scores obtained during and after weighing, and the average daily weight gains (ADG) of Suffolk x Île-de-France cross lambs, at 30, 60 and 90 days of age, as well as to study the effect of habituation towards handling. The variables assessed through scores were: interference of the observer for the animal to enter the weighing crate (INT), vocalization (VOC), movement (MOV), tension (TEN), exploratory movements (EM), ears posture (EP) and the gait speed test (qualitative flight time test) (GS). The results of the Spearman correlations indicate that VOC, MOV and TEN may be considered important traits in the expression of reactivity in sheep assessed while restrained. On the contrary, ADG does not seem to be correlated with reactivity. Finally, at 90 days of age, the lambs were less reactive, due to learning by habituation

The study aimed to estimate the components of (co)variance and heritability for weights at birth (BW), weaning (WW) and 180 days of age (W180), as well as the average daily gains from birth to weaning (ADG1), birth to 180 days of age (ADG2) and weaning to 180 days of age (ADG3) in Suffolk sheep. Thus, three different single-trait animal models were fitted, considering the direct additive genetic effect (Model 1), the direct additive genetic and maternal permanent environmental effects (Model 2), and in Model 3, in addition to those in Model 2, the maternal additive genetic effect was included. After comparing models through the likelihood ratio test (LRT), model 3 was chosen as the most appropriate to estimate heritability for BW, WW and ADG1. Model 2 was considered as the best to estimate the coefficient of heritability for W180 and ADG2, and model 1 for ADG3. Direct heritability estimates were inflated when maternal effects were ignored. According to the most suitable models, the heritability estimates for BW, WW, W180, ADG1, ADG2 and ADG3 were 0.06, 0.08, 0.09, 0.07, 0.08 and 0.07, respectively, indicating low possibility of genetic gain through individual selection. The results show the importance of including maternal effects in the models to properly estimate genetic parameters even at post-weaning ages. Objetivou-se estimar os componentes de (co)variância e herdabilidades para pesos ao nascer (PN), à desmama (PD) e aos 180 dias de idade (P180), além dos ganhos médios diários de peso do nascimento à desmama (GMD N-D), do nascimento aos 180 dias de idade (GMD N-180) e da desmama aos 180 dias de idade (GMD D-180), de ovinos da raça Suffolk. Para isso, utilizaram-se três modelos diferentes, considerando o efeito genético aditivo direto (Modelo 1), os efeitos genético direto e de ambiente permanente materno (Modelo 2) e, no Modelo 3, além daqueles contemplados no Modelo 2, foi incluído o efeito genético materno. Após comparar os modelos por meio do teste de razão de verossimilhança (LRT), observou-se que o 3 foi o mais adequado para estimar a herdabilidade para PN, PD e GMD N-D. Já o modelo 2 foi considerado como o melhor para estimar o coeficiente de herdabilidade para P180 e GMD N-180, e o modelo 1, para GMD D-180. As herdabilidades diretas foram inflacionadas quando os efeitos maternos foram ignorados. Os coeficientes de herdabilidade de baixa magnitude estimados para PN, PD, P180, GMD N-D, GMD N-180 e GMD D-180 foram iguais a 0,06, 0,08, 0,09, 0,07, 0,08 e 0,07, respectivamente, de acordo com os modelos mais apropriados, indicando que os ganhos genéticos obtidos por meio da seleção individual serão de pequena magnitude. Os resultados evidenciam a importância da inclusão dos efeitos maternos nos modelos para estimar adequadamente os parâmetros genéticos, mesmo após a desmama.