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Ewe lamb vaginal temperatures in hardwood silvopastures

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Abstract

Shade for livestock during periods of heat stress is likely to be one of the biggest drivers for silvopasture adoption by livestock producers, yet the degree of physiological benefit for animals in silvopastures is generally unquantified. The greatest challenge for measuring body temperatures and assessing heat stress in animals on pasture is in collecting the data while minimizing disturbance to the animal. In this study, intravaginal temperature sensors were constructed from blank controlled internal drug release devices and small temperature loggers. Body temperatures of ewe lambs (n = 9) were recorded within a replicate within a week, and these measures were taken sequentially within each of three experimental periods. During the hottest part of the day (1200–1900 h), ewe lambs in the open pasture had hotter vaginal temperatures than lambs in the black walnut (Juglans nigra) silvopastures (P ≤ 0.0338). Ewe lambs in the honeylocust silvopastures (Gleditsia triacanthos) had cooler body temperatures than lambs in the open pastures at 1500 h (P = 0.0469). Ewe lambs in the open pasture experienced more fluctuation in day to nighttime core temperature change (P < 0.0001). Ewe lambs in the honeylocust silvopastures and the open pastures exhibited increasing vaginal temperatures each successive month. The trees within these silvopastures moderated the impact of ambient conditions on lamb body temperatures.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Drew Sollenberger, Lewis Tucker, Michael Largen, Evangeline Pent, Julianna Pent, and Sarah Kate Pent for assistance with lab and field work, the Kentland field crew for assistance with site management, and Drs. Kevin Pelzer and Sierra Guynn and the Food Animal Field Service staff at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine for assistance with veterinary care. Funding for this project was provided by the John Lee Pratt Animal Nutrition Endowment and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, United States Department of Agriculture, under award numbers GS14-130 and LS13-255.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2375 Darvills Road, Blackstone, VA, USA

    Gabriel J. Pent

  2. Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 185 Ag Quad Lane, 330 Smyth Hall, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    John H. Fike

  3. Department of Statistics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 250 Drillfield Drive, 406-A Hutcheson Hall, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Inyoung Kim

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  1. Gabriel J. Pent
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  2. John H. Fike
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  3. Inyoung Kim
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Correspondence to Gabriel J. Pent.

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Pent, G.J., Fike, J.H. & Kim, I. Ewe lamb vaginal temperatures in hardwood silvopastures. Agroforest Syst 95, 21–32 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-018-0221-y

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