Effect of altered ambient temperature through shelter modifications on physiological indicators of Malpura lambs reared in semi-arid region during winter

Our plain-English summary of Effect of altered ambient temperature through shelter modifications on physiological indicators of Malpura lambs reared in semi-arid region during winter, by K. De, D. Kumar, A.K. Singh, et al (Journal of Thermal Biology, 2018).

The study

• Authors: K. De, D. Kumar, A.K. Singh, A. Sahoo, S.M.K. Naqvi
• Journal: Journal of Thermal Biology
• Published: 2018;72:161-167
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Microclimatic factors are of crucial aspect for the welfare of animals. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the effect of altered ambient temperature through shelter modifications on physiological indicators of Malpura lambs reared in the semi-arid region during winter. Twenty-one Malpura lambs of 3-5 week age and average body weight 9.97 ± 0.51 kg were used in the present study. The lambs were divided into three groups (eg. G1, G2, and G3) and were kept in the different microenvironment by manipulation of shelter design. The G1 lambs were maintained at lower minimum temperature (8.59 ± 0.71 °C) in asbestos roofed shed, while G2 lambs were maintained at higher minimum temperature (14.59 ± 0.54 °C) in local handmade bamboo dome structure, and G3 lambs were kept at a medium minimum temperature (11.84 ± 0.64 °C) in thermocol insulated roofed shed from evening 18:30 h to morning 07:00 h. The study was carried out for one month between January and February. The parameters studied were physiological response (respiration rate, pulse rate, rectal temperature), skin temperature, blood metabolites and endocrine profile. The data were analyzed by general linear models. Higher average daily weight gain was recorded in the lambs kept in higher minimum temperature groups (20.54% higher in G2 and 24.68% higher in G3) as compared to G1 lambs. Microenvironment manipulation had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on most of the physiological response and skin temperature except morning respiration rate within low-temperature range. The present study reveals that Hb, PCV, T3, and cortisol level were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by microenvironment manipulation. The results of the study indicated that altered ambient temperature through altered shelter design of housing for raising of lambs in the semi-arid tropical region may support animal welfare during chilling nights of the winter.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This was a housing experiment on young sheep, not a study of asbestos and health. Asbestos appeared only as a building material: it roofed the control shed and formed the top layer of the insulated shed's roof and door. At a research institute in semi-arid India, the authors split 21 Malpura lambs aged 3 to 5 weeks into three groups of seven. For one winter month the groups slept in an asbestos-roofed control shed (average minimum temperature 8.59 °C), bamboo domes (14.59 °C) or a thermocol-insulated shed (11.84 °C). Average daily weight gain was 114.29 grams in the control group, 142.86 in the dome group and 145.83 in the insulated group, but these differences were not statistically significant. Morning breathing rate was lower in the control group than in the dome group. Pulse, rectal temperature and skin temperature showed no statistically significant differences between shelter groups. The control group had lower hemoglobin, total protein and albumin than the insulated group, and lower packed cell volume than the dome group. The authors concluded that lambs in the warmer shelters were in a less stressful condition.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Animal experiment comparing three types of night shelter for lambs, analysed with general linear models (repeated-measures ANOVA)
• Who was studied: 21 Malpura lambs (four female and three male in each group), single-born, 3 to 5 weeks old, at least 7 kg. They were split into three groups of seven at the ICAR-Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute, Avikanagar, in the semi-arid region of India. The study ran for 30 days in January and February; the year is not stated.
• Exposure: Night housing (18:30 to 07:00) in three shelter types. G1 (control) slept in an asbestos-roofed shed with curtained wire-net sides, minimum temperature 8.59 °C. G2 slept in bamboo domes holding two lambs each, minimum temperature 14.59 °C. G3 slept in a brick shed whose roof and door were asbestos over 40 mm thermocol over polyvinyl sheet, minimum temperature 11.84 °C. Asbestos was a building material only; no asbestos exposure was measured or studied.
• Main results:
  • Shelter type did not significantly affect average daily weight gain (P>0.05). Mean daily gains were 114.29 grams in G1 (control, asbestos-roofed shed), 142.86 in G2 (bamboo dome) and 145.83 in G3 (insulated shed).
  • Morning respiration rate was significantly lower in G1 (40.33) than in G2 (46.58) but did not differ from G3 (40.45).
  • Pulse rate, rectal temperature and skin temperature showed no statistically significant differences between the three shelter groups. The experimental week had a significant effect on most physiological responses and skin temperature.
  • Hemoglobin was significantly higher in G3 (13.03 g/dL) than in G1 (11.52 g/dL).
  • Packed cell volume was significantly higher in G2 (51.42%) than in G1 (44.24%).
  • Plasma total protein (7.46 vs 6.49 g/dL) and albumin (4.79 vs 4.26 g/dL) were significantly higher in G3 than in G1. Glucose, cholesterol and urea did not differ significantly among groups.
  • Plasma T3 was significantly lower in G3 (4.91 nmol/l) than in G2 (6.51 nmol/l), and G1 (6.11 nmol/l) did not differ significantly from G2. Growth hormone, IGF-1 and T4 showed no significant group effect.
  • Cortisol was significantly higher in G2 (35.64 nmol/l) than in G3 (23.52 nmol/l). G1 (29.85 nmol/l) did not differ significantly from either.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that lambs kept in the shelters with comparatively higher winter temperature were in a less stressful condition, as shown by respiration rate, Hb, PCV, metabolic hormone levels and weight gain. They also concluded that some blood and hormone changes were adaptive responses to lower temperature.

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