Price E O, Dunn G C, Talbot J A, Dally M R
J Anim Sci. 1984 Aug;59(2):301-7. doi: 10.2527/jas1984.592301x.
Lamb-specific odor is used by ewes to discriminate between their own and alien offspring. The objective of the present study was to investigate the feasibility of transferring own-lamb odor to alien young to facilitate fostering. Shortly after birth, cloth stockinettes (body suits) were placed on the offspring of 37 multiparous ewes. At 48 to 72 h after parturition, a lamb from each ewe was replaced by an alien lamb. In 31 cases the odor-impregnated stockinette of the ewe's own lamb was placed on the alien lamb; in the remaining six cases the alien lamb retained its own stockinette (control condition). Lamb acceptance tests were conducted every 12 h for 2 d after fostering and once daily for the following 2 d. Twenty-six of the 31 experimental ewes (84%) adopted alien lambs using the odor-transfer technique. All of the control lambs were rejected. Of the 26 ewes that adopted foster young, 10 (38%) showed immediate acceptance and 22 (85%) were exhibiting acceptance behaviors by 36 h after fostering. There were no significant differences in the fostering success of ewes bearing single lambs and those with twins. The presence of own-lamb odor rather than the absence of alien lamb odor appears to be the salient cue for lamb acceptance. Lamb-specific odor transfer represents a relatively inexpensive and rapid technique to achieve maternal acceptance of alien lambs by postpartum ewes.
母羊利用特定的羔羊气味来区分自己的后代和外来羔羊。本研究的目的是探讨将亲生羔羊气味转移到外来幼崽身上以促进寄养的可行性。出生后不久，将布制的婴儿袜（连体衣）套在37只经产母羊的后代身上。分娩后48至72小时，每只母羊的一只羔羊被一只外来羔羊替换。在31个案例中，将母羊亲生羔羊带有气味的婴儿袜套在外来羔羊身上；在其余6个案例中，外来羔羊保留其自身的婴儿袜（对照情况）。寄养后每12小时进行一次羔羊接受测试，持续2天，随后的2天每天进行一次。31只实验母羊中有26只（84%）采用气味转移技术收养了外来羔羊。所有对照羔羊均被拒绝。在收养寄养羔羊的26只母羊中，10只（38%）立即接受，22只（85%）在寄养后36小时表现出接受行为。产单羔的母羊和产双羔的母羊在寄养成功率上没有显著差异。亲生羔羊气味的存在而非外来羔羊气味的缺失似乎是母羊接受羔羊的显著线索。特定的羔羊气味转移是一种相对廉价且快速的技术，可使产后母羊接受外来羔羊。
