Dwyer C M, Conington J, Corbiere F, Holmøy I H, Muri K, Nowak R, Rooke J, Vipond J, Gautier J-M
1Animal and Veterinary Sciences,Scotland's Rural College,King's Buildings,West Mains Road,Edinburgh EH9 3JG,UK.
2Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire,23 Chemin des Capelles,31300 Toulouse,France.
Animal. 2016 Mar;10(3):449-59. doi: 10.1017/S1751731115001974. Epub 2015 Oct 5.
Neonatal mortality in small ruminant livestock has remained stubbornly unchanging over the past 40 years, and represents a significant loss of farm income, contributes to wastage and affects animal welfare. Scientific knowledge about the biology of neonatal adaptation after birth has been accumulating but does not appear to have had an impact in improving survival. In this paper, we ask what might be the reasons for the lack of impact of the scientific studies of lamb and kid mortality, and suggest strategies to move forward. Biologically, it is clear that achieving a good intake of colostrum, as soon as possible after birth, is crucial for neonatal survival. This provides fuel for thermoregulation, passive immunological protection and is involved in the development of attachment between the ewe and lamb. The behaviour of the lamb in finding the udder and sucking rapidly after birth is a key component in ensuring sufficient colostrum is ingested. In experimental studies, the main risk factors for lamb mortality are low birthweight, particularly owing to poor maternal nutrition during gestation, birth difficulty, litter size and genetics, which can all be partly attributed to their effect on the speed with which the lamb reaches the udder and sucks. Similarly, on commercial farms, low birthweight and issues with sucking were identified as important contributors to mortality. In epidemiological studies, management factors such as providing assistance with difficult births, were found to be more important than risk factors associated with housing. Social science studies suggest that farmers generally have a positive attitude to improving neonatal mortality but may differ in beliefs about how this can be achieved, with some farmers believing they had no control over early lamb mortality. Facilitative approaches, where farmers and advisors work together to develop neonatal survival strategies, have been shown to be effective in achieving management goals, such as optimising ewe nutrition, that lead to reductions in lamb mortality. We conclude that scientific research is providing useful information on the biology underpinning neonatal survival, such as optimal birthweights, lamb vigour and understanding the importance of sufficient colostrum intake, but the transfer of that knowledge would benefit from an improved understanding of the psychology of management change on farm. Developing tailored solutions, on the basis of adequate farm records, that make use of the now substantial body of scientific literature on neonatal mortality will help to achieve lower neonatal mortality.
在过去40年里，小型反刍家畜的新生儿死亡率一直顽固地保持不变，这造成了农场收入的重大损失，导致了资源浪费，并影响了动物福利。关于出生后新生儿适应生物学的科学知识一直在积累，但似乎并没有对提高存活率产生影响。在本文中，我们探讨了有关羔羊和幼崽死亡率的科学研究缺乏影响力的原因，并提出了前进的策略。从生物学角度来看，很明显，出生后尽快摄入足够的初乳对新生儿的存活至关重要。这为体温调节提供能量，提供被动免疫保护，并参与母羊与羔羊之间依恋关系的形成。羔羊出生后迅速找到乳房并吸吮的行为是确保摄入足够初乳的关键因素。在实验研究中，羔羊死亡的主要风险因素是低出生体重，特别是由于孕期母体营养不足、分娩困难、产仔数和遗传因素，这些都可以部分归因于它们对羔羊到达乳房并吸吮的速度的影响。同样，在商业农场中，低出生体重和吸吮问题被认为是死亡率的重要因素。在流行病学研究中，发现诸如在难产时提供助产等管理因素比与饲养环境相关的风险因素更为重要。社会科学研究表明，农民普遍对提高新生儿死亡率持积极态度，但在如何实现这一目标的信念上可能存在差异，一些农民认为他们无法控制早期羔羊死亡率。农民和顾问共同制定新生儿存活策略的促进性方法已被证明在实现管理目标（如优化母羊营养）方面是有效的，这些目标可以降低羔羊死亡率。我们得出结论，科学研究正在提供有关新生儿存活基础生物学的有用信息，如最佳出生体重、羔羊活力以及理解足够初乳摄入的重要性，但要将这些知识进行转化，还需要更好地理解农场管理变革的心理因素。根据充足的农场记录制定量身定制的解决方案，并利用现有的大量关于新生儿死亡率的科学文献，将有助于降低新生儿死亡率。
