Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-21T11:11:08.615Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Extending the interval between second vaccination and slaughter: I. Effects on growth, scrotal size and stress responses of immunocastrated ram lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 January 2019

T. Needham Open the ORCID record for T. Needham [Opens in a new window] ,
H. Lambrechts  and
L. C. Hoffman
T. Needham
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, Stellenbosch7602, South Africa Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Kamýcká 961/129, Prague 165 00, Czech Republic
H. Lambrechts
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, Stellenbosch7602, South Africa
L. C. Hoffman*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland, Stellenbosch7602, South Africa Centre for Nutrition and Food Sciences, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), The University of Queensland, Health and Food Sciences Precinct, 39 Kessels Rd, Coopers Plains 4108, QLD, Australia
*
†E-mail: louwrens.hoffman@uq.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Immunocastration provides a less invasive means of castrating lambs. Considering increasing consumer awareness, the efficacy of this technique on commercial slaughter lambs needs to be further investigated and its effects on growth and stress responses need to be established. This study compared the growth rate, testes size and stress responses of immunocastrated lambs with that of lambs physically castrated with a Burdizzo clamp, as well as intact rams. A total of 40 Dohne Merino ram lambs (average live weight = 45.4±3.68 kg) were randomly allocated to the following four treatment groups: control (intact; R), Burdizzo-castrated (on day 2; B), immunocastrated with a 4-week (ICS4), or a 6-week (ICS6) interval between the second immunocastration vaccination and slaughter. Within the immunocastration treatments, the reaction to vaccination was assessed through injection site scoring, recording the local injection site surface temperature and assigning a walking score. The response to Burdizzo castration was assessed by scoring the reaction during the procedure, testes palpation reaction, walking gait and measuring testis temperature. Additional parameters recorded included BW, serum cortisol concentration, scrotal circumference and rectal temperature. Pain behaviours were described for the short-, medium- and long-term effects after the two methods of castration. Predominantly, tissue-hardening and bruising occurred at the injection sites of immunocastrates, but little effect was observed on walking comfort and no effect on injection site temperature or rectal temperatures. After Burdizzo castration, lambs spent more time in abnormal postures, and from day 3 (D3) to D8 of the trial, discomfort was observed during testes palpation and walking in B lambs. Serum cortisol concentrations were elevated in B lambs on D3 and D15, indicating physiological stress. Thus, immunocastration improved the welfare of castrated lambs as assessed by cortisol secretion, scrotal swelling and pain behaviours, without influencing growth rate.

Keywords

Burdizzogonadotropin-releasing hormoneImprovacsheeptestes
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 13 , Issue 9 , September 2019 , pp. 1952 - 1961
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baird, A and Wolfe, D 1998. Large animal urogenital surgery, 2nd edition. Williams & Wilkins, Baltimore, MD, USA.Google Scholar
Boler, D, Kutzler, L, Meeuwse, D, King, V, Campion, D, McKeith, F and Killefer, J 2011. Effects of increasing lysine on carcass composition and cutting yields of immunologically castrated male pigs. Journal of Animal Science 89, 2189–2199.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hosie, B, Carruthers, J and Shepard, B 1992. Lamb castration: some practical considerations. Proceedings of the Sheep Veterinary Society 16, 93–95.Google Scholar
Janett, F, Gerig, T, Tschuor, A, Amatayakul-Chantler, S, Walker, J, Howard, R, Bollwein, H and Thun, R 2012. Vaccination against gonadotropin-releasing factor (GnRF) with Bopriva significantly decreases testicular development, serum testosterone levels and physical activity in pubertal bulls. Theriogenology 78, 182–188.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kiyma, Z, Adams, T, Hess, B, Riley, M, Murdoch, W and Moss, G 2000. Gonadal function, sexual behaviour, feedlot performance, and carcass traits of ram lambs actively immunised against GnRH. Journal of Animal Science 78, 2237–2243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melches, S, Mellema, S, Doherr, M, Wechsler, B and Steiner, A 2007. Castration of lambs: a welfare comparison of different castration techniques in lambs over 10 weeks of age. Veterinary Journal 173, 554–563.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Molony, V, Kent, J and McKendrick, I 2002. Validation of a method for assessment of an acute pain in lambs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 76, 215–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Needham, T, Hoffman, L and Gous, R 2017. Growth responses of entire and immunocastrated male pigs to dietary protein with and without ractopamine hydrochloride. Animal 11, 1482–1487.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Needham, T, Lambrechts, H and Hoffman, L 2016. The influence of vaccination interval on growth, carcass traits and testicle parameters of immunocastrated ram lambs. Small Ruminant Research 145, 53–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Needham, T, Lambrechts, H and Hoffman, L 2019. Influence of immunocastration vaccine administration interval on serum androgen concentrations and testis activity in ram lambs. Small Ruminant Research 170, 82–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parthasarathy, V, Price, E, Orihuela, A, Dally, M and Adams, T 2002. Passive immunization of rams (Ovis aries) against GnRH: effects on antibody titer, serum concentrations of testosterone, and sexual behavior. Animal Reproduction Science 7, 203–215.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pinckard, K, Stellflug, J and Stormshak, F 2000. Influence of castration and estrogen replacement on sexual behavior of female-oriented, male-oriented, and asexual rams. Journal of Animal Science 78, 1947–1953.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Quanson, J, Stander, M, Pretorius, E, Jenkinson, C, Taylor, A and Storbeck, K 2016. High-throughput analysis of 19 endogenous androgenic steroids by ultra-performance convergence chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Journal of Chromatography B 1031, 131–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sales, J 2014. Quantification of the effects of castration on carcass and meat quality of sheep by meta-analysis. Meat Science 98, 858–868.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, A, Belson, S, Holm, M and Colditz, I 2014. Efficacy of a buccal meloxicam formulation for pain relief in Merino lambs undergoing knife castration and tail docking in a randomised field trial. Australian Veterinary Journal 92, 381–388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Teixeira, D, Miranda-de la Lama, G, Villarroel, M, Garcia-Belenguer, S, Sañudo, C and Maria, G 2012. Effect of straw on lamb welfare, production performance and meat quality during the finishing phase of fattening. Meat Science 92, 829–836.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ülker, H, Gökdal, Ö, Aygüna, T, Karakus, F, de Avila, D and Reeves, J 2003. Feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of ram lambs immunized against recombinant LHRH fusion proteins at 10 weeks of age. Small Ruminant Research 50, 213–218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ülker, H, Gökdal, Ö, Temur, C, Budağ, C, Oto, M, de Avila, D and Reeves, J 2002. The effect of immunization against LHRH on body growth and carcass characteristics in Karakas ram lambs. Small Ruminant Research 45, 273–278.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Needham et al. supplementary material

Needham et al. supplementary material 1

Download Needham et al. supplementary material(File)
File 45.9 KB