Attitudes of UK sheep farmers towards fostering methods: A national survey

摘要

Fostering is a process used by sheep farmers for the rearing of abandoned lambs or in the incidence of triplets, providing the surplus lamb a surrogate ewe. Historically, research has assessed the varying success rates of different fostering methods and evaluated them using the latency to accept the alien lamb. There are no current studies on the frequency of use of the different methods, nor the farmers' perception of the effects of the methods on ewe behaviour and welfare. The aim of the survey was to identify which fostering methods are currently in use in the UK and to gain an insight into farmers' attitudes towards them, in relation to the ewe's behaviour and welfare. Data were collected using paper and online questionnaires that were distributed with the help of stakeholders such as the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX) and at events such as the Royal Show and the NSA Sheep event. Seventy five farmers responded and results showed that they used birth fluids and restraint more often than other methods. Farmers believed that restraint methods can have negative welfare implications as determined by the ewe's behaviour and the lamb growth rate. There was also a significant relationship between the foster method and breed type. The farmers also suggested that the birth fluid method was preferred by the animals compared to all of the other methods as it was less disruptive and restricting to the ewes. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified two main factors influencing the farmers' choice of foster methods: these were the 'ewes health and welfare' and 'the farmers previous knowledge and success of the method'. The former had a significantly greater influence than the latter signifying that farmers are concerned for the animal's welfare during this process. Overall, farmers acknowledged that the selection of the appropriate foster method is a means to increase lamb productivity which can influence their return. They also recognised that the display of positive or negative ewe behaviours plays a vital role in the selection process of the fostering technique