Motor activity of sheep on pasture in the conditions of Eastern Siberia, Russia

Aim. To study the motor activity of sheep of the Zabaykal (Transbaikal) and Agin breeds in year‐round grazing in relation to the season of the year.

Material and Methods. The research was carried out in the steppe zone of the Aginsky District of Zabaykalsky Territory. Garmin eTrex 20x GPS receivers were used in the research with the help of which motor activity and the speed of sheep in pasture were monitored. Weather conditions were taken into account for the relevant research periods using data from the meteorological service.

Results. Average daily air temperature in winter was – 23.30°C, air velocity 1.3 m/s and relative air humidity 67.3%, and in spring was 13.70°C; 4.1 m/s and 35.6%, in summer – 20.90°C; 1.6 m/s and 77.3% and in autumn – 1.10°С below zero, 2.4 m/s and 50.1%. It was found that the sheep being monitored travelled different distances with different speeds of movement depending on the season of the year and origin. They travelled the greatest distance in winter with a higher average speed of movement and a shorter distance in the summer. At the same time, it was noted that semi‐coarse‐wooled (Agin) sheep passed 12378 m during the 8‐hour grazing period, which is 24.9% more than fine‐wooled (Zabaykal) sheep (Р˂0.01), in spring – 8,168 m (22.3% more, Р ˂0.05), summer – 6,511 m (24.5% more, Р˂0.01) and autumn – 9,214 m (40.3% more). The average speed of movement of semi‐coarse‐wooled sheep was higher than fine‐wooled by 80.0% (P˂0.05), 25.0, 9.1 and 23.1% (P˂0.05), respecƟvely. The nutritional value of 1 kg of dry matter of pasture grass was higher in the summer and amounted to 0.68 units with a content of 1 unit 93.1 g of digestible protein.

Conclusion. The research data allow us to conclude that the motor activityand the speed of movement of sheep in pasture directly depends on the season of the year and the nutritional value of pasture grass, as well as on type of breed. 

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