Cortisol responses of young lambs to castration and tailing using different methods
作者:
S.J. Lester,
D.J. Mellor,
R.N. Ward,
R.J. Holmes,
期刊:
New Zealand Veterinary Journal
(Taylor Available online 1991)
卷期:
Volume 39,
issue 4
页码: 134-138
ISSN:0048-0169
年代: 1991
DOI:10.1080/00480169.1991.35680
出版商: Taylor & Francis Group
数据来源: Taylor
摘要:
Lambs at 4–5 weeks of age were studied during the first 4 hours after castration and/or tailing using three methods in various commonly used combinations. The methods were cutting with a knife, application of constricting rubber rings and using a heated docking iron (tailing only). The integrated cortisol response (area under the cortisol curve) was determined for each lamb during the first 4 hours after treatment and was considered to reflect the overall magnitude of the lamb's acute distress response. On that basis, cut lambs (tailing only, castration only, castration plus tailing) experienced more distress than any other groups. Also the distress response (indicated by elevated plasma cortisol concentrations) lasted longer than 4 hours in cut lambs, unlike all other groups. The use of rings apparently caused similar distress when lambs were castrated only, were castrated plus tailed, or were short-scrotumed (testes pressed against the abdominal wall by a distally located scrotal ring) plus tailed. The magnitudes of distress apparently caused by tailing alone with a ring or a docking iron were similar and were lower than the distress caused by any other castration and/or tailing procedure. It is concluded that acute distress responses to these husbandry procedures would be minimised in lambs of this age if rings and/or a docking iron were used in preference to a knife.
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