The Effects of Shearing on Behaviors and Physiological Responses in Javanese Fat-Tailed Sheep Fed By Tofu Byproduct

Abstract

Javanese Fat-tailed sheep is one of Indonesia local sheep which has a high adaptability, especially in the arid region. Sheep shearing is a common management by farmers in order to reduce heat stress and eradicate ectoparasites. This study evaluated the behavioral and physiological responses of fat tailed rams, treated by wool shearing and offered tofu by product as feed. This research used 12 rams (body weight 17.4±1.1 kg) and was arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial design. The treatments of this study were feed type (with and without tofu by product) and wool shearing (shorn and unshorn). Rectal temperature (RT), pulse rate (PR), respiratory frequency (RF) and skin temperature (ST) and behavior were collected each week for three months. Data of physiological response were analyzed using analyses of variance. The results showed that there was no interaction effect between shorn and feed type on the physiological responses of rams. On the contrary, consumption of tofu by product significantly increased the RF (P<0.05). Furthermore, wool shearing caused significantly higher ST (P<0.05) of shorn rams than unshorn rams. Sheep behavior was not affected by the treatment. In general, the behaviors frequencies of resting, locomotion and ingestion were higher than the frequencies of other behaviors. It can be concluded that the physiological responses and behavior of javanese fat-tailed sheep were not changed either sheep was shorn or unshorn, indicating that shearing practices can be recommended in order to eradicate ectoparacites.