The Effect of Climate Parameters on Sheep Preferences for Outdoors or Indoors at Low Ambient Temperatures

摘要

Sheep may be kept indoors over the winter period, especially in cool climates. There is currently a drive to keep sheep outside, especially on organic sheep farms. This paper examines the preferences that sheep have in cool conditions for outdoor or indoor housing to inform management practices. We found no evidence that mature sheep should be kept confined indoors throughout the winter period, even in normal winter weather conditions in northern Europe, with temperatures as low as −20 °C and where precipitation and relative humidity may be high. In all conditions, during this trial, the majority of ewes preferred to be outside. Access to the outdoor area should be managed to restrict outdoor access for lambs, ewes with unweaned lambs and recently shorn sheep. Conditions in which sheep did choose to move indoors were: low wind chill values (≤10 °C) and/or high air humidity (>90%). In such cases, sheep should have the opportunity to shelter indoors.