The most significant stressors in intensive sheep production

Abstract

In this paper are described the most important stressors in intensive sheep production on farms and pastures. Stressors on farms and pastures mostly originate from adverse housing conditions, improper zootechnical procedures, veterinary procedures (treatment, vaccinations, blood tests, surgery), animal husbandry procedures (labeling, weaning, grouping, shearing, shortening the tail, hoof care), unsuitable weather conditions (extreme heat and cold) and insufficient nutrition. The paper puts out special emphasis on the consideration of period of life in which sheep were subjected to additional loads and susceptible to effects of these stressors, such as birth, juvenile period, puberty, oestrus, advanced pregnancy, parturition and the puerperal period.

U radu su opisani najznačajniji stresori ovaca u intenzivnim uslovima proizvodnje na farmama i pašnjacima. Stresori na farmama i pašnjacima najčešće potiču od nepovoljnih uslova smeštaja i držanja, nepravilnih postupaka odgajivača, veterinarskih postupaka (lečenja, vakcinacije, vađenja krvi, hirurške intervencije), zootehničkih postupaka (obeležavanje, odbijanje, grupisanje, šišanje, skraćivanje repa, obrada papaka), neodgovarajućih klimatskih uslova (ekstremna toplota i hladnoća) i neodgovarajuće ishrane. U radu se poseban akcenat stavlja na razmatranje perioda života u kojima su ovce podvrgnute delovanju dodatnih opterećenja i podložnije delovanju ovih stresora, kao što su rođenje, juvenilni period, pubertet, estrus, visoki graviditet, porođaj i puerperalni period.