Effect of enriched housing on welfare, production performance and meat quality in finishing lambs: the use of feeder ramps.
This study analyses the effect of environmental enrichment on the welfare, productive traits and meat quality of lambs housed in feedlots. Sixty lambs were placed in enriched (EE) or conventional (CO) pens (3 pens for each treatment, 10 lambs/pen) where EE had a wooden platform with ramps that provided access to a concentrate hopper, cereal straw as bedding and forage, and one play ramp. The CO pen was barren, similar to commercial feedlots. The physiological adaptation response of EE lambs was more efficient than CO, since the latter mobilised more body reserves (i.e., increased NEFA, P<0.05), and had lower levels of immunity (i.e., increased N/L, P<0.05), which indicate chronic stress, probably associated with the barren environment. The EE lambs had a higher (P<0.05) average daily gain, with heavier carcasses and higher fattening scores, as well as lower pHult, higher L and b values, and lower values of texture (P<0.05).
Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: laguayo@unizar.es.
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Aguayo-Ulloa
Group of Animal Welfare and Sustainable Production, Department of Food Science, Metropolitan Autonomous University, UAM-Lerma, State of Mexico, Mexico.
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Miranda-de la Lama
Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zaragoza, Spain.
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Pascual-Alonso
Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zaragoza, Spain.
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Olleta
Department of Animal Science, E.T.S.I.A. Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.
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Villarroel
Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zaragoza, Spain.
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Sañudo
Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: levrino@unizar.es.
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María
D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D003116:Color; D063427:Food Quality; D006799:Housing, Animal; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D034561:Sheep, Domestic
Animal welfare; Finishing lambs; Full environmental enrichment; Meat quality; Productive performance