Energy metabolism, ranging behaviour and haematological studies with Romney Marsh and Cheviot sheep : a thesis presented for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the University of New Zealand

Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for

a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and

private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without

the permission of the Author.

MASSEY AGR!CU!... TI.JRJI.L COLLEGE LIBRARY PAUKi�STON NORTH, N.Z.

ENERGY l\1ETABOLISM, RANGING BEF..AVIOUR

AND

H��TOLOGICAL STlmiES WITH

ROMNEY MARSH AND CHEVIOT SHEEP

being a thesis presented for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the

University of New Zealand

Eric Cresswell

Massey Agricultural College University of New Zealand

19.58

ACKNOWIEOOEMENTS

This work was carried out during the tenure of a Senior Research Fellowship of the Research Committee of the University of New Zealand. Financial assistance was also supplied byMassey Agricultural College.

GratefUl recognition is made of the generosity of the Nuffield Foundation and Cooper McDougal and Robertson Ltd., England.

It is desired to extend particular thanks for all advice, support, assistance and facilities to the following:-

Professor G.S. Peren, C.B.E., Professor A.L. Rae, Mr1 M.W.

Webster, Dr. C.R. Barnicoat, Miss M.G. Campbell and the Library

staff, Mr. C.H. Fairless and Mr. T. Crotty, all of Massey Agricultural College.

Grateful acknowledgement is made of the generosity of the Medical Superintendent, Dr. J.H. North; the Pathologist, Dr. ^T.H.

Pullar; the Principal Bacteriologist, Mr. H.E. Hutchings and the Instrument Maker, Mr. G.D. Kemp of the Palmerston North Public Hospital.

The counsel of Professor R.W. Dougherty of the University of Cornell, U.S.A. and Dr. A.T. Phillipson of the Rowett Research Institute, Scotland was a source of great enco�agement.

The typing labours of Mrs. A.'w. Warren, Massey Agricultural

C ollege, and Miss s ^• .Ai+en and Mrs. G. Montrose of Utah State University are no less appreciated,

CONTENTS

List of lllustrations List o£ Table

Division "A" Background to project

"B" Energy utaboli studies

Addend\111

"C"

RaJti1nc behaviour studies

•n•

B:aematological studies

',:•

•E"

Di

_acuss

ion and conclusions ot the overall project

{DiV'isions "A", "B",

"C",

"D")

"P'"

Bibliography

Appendix A Appendix

B

(In sections corresponding to project

divisions "A",

"B", "C",

"D",

"E")

Pages

1

• iv

V- vi1.

1 - 26

27 - 101 102 - 130 131- 168 169 - 191 192- 204

20.5 - 214

21.5 - 226

227 - 2J6

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Page

Figure I. The shoulder pro£iles of 10 South Country 7 {Bord r) Cheviot and 10 North Country Cheviot

ewes at Sourhope hill research station,

^·

Scotland (

_Wan.'l

op 195/b).

Figure

II.

Total 24-hour basal heat production referred 31 to body weight - sheep. The solid dots

represent a

u. s.

A. cross between t.he Sout.hdown

_and

Rambouillet and the

_hollow

circl.es Au tralian Merinos (Benedict 1938b).

Figure

III.

Showing (1) weather data, (2) average 161 distances traveled in miles per week for

Cheviot

_and

Romney Marsh ewes

•

(3) periods and locations, (4) dates

_or

recording periods.

Plate 1. Typical Border Cheviot ewe.

2• Typical Romney

Marsh ewe.

3• Cheviot Hills 20/6/);.6.

4• Romney Marsh 31/7/54.

.5• Cheviot Rllls 16/10/4.5.

6. Romney Marsh 19/4/55·

1. • Field • pattern tracheotomy tube (a),

_w1

th introducer (b) and rubber balloon (c).

8.

x ...

ray plat showing inflated balloon occluding the

_uppe

r tr che of a sheep.

9• Sheep befor th insertion of a tracheal balloon,

4 4 15 16 17

18 39

41

(a). 42 10. Sheep after the insertion

_!llld

i.ntlation of

_a

trachea1

balloon. ot .. pUot balloon (a) connection tube (b). 42

1

Page

Plate 11. ^Traebeal oannula with corrugated rubber cuff (a).

44 12. A

ap1ra:uter recording

in progren

usina the

46

mocSU'ttcl 'Field'

pat

te

r

n traoheal cermUla.

(a)

Exte:rnal •eal.ing pa4a,

(b)

SpirCMter, (e) Two

Wa7 'I'

lve

COI"l"elponding

te

the ant ul t s noatrtla.

13. Modified 'Jleld' pattern traoheot� tube with tracheal support• (a) and (b).

14. Modified •Field•

pattern tracheotOJO" tube w

it

h

49

rubber sheath (a} nd

introducer

co

ne

s (b) and

(c).

lS.

Connection tube for linking a ^{beep to}

CDf'gen

ttPlrGIII.eter.

16. •r• cannula open-showing (a) Grocwe4 edge, (b) C.pUlary tube, (o) Roll-on rubbet' cuff,

(d)

^ubber

extension

tube, (c) Pilot balloon,

(t) Cutting

edge to fit

groove (a),

and Cbamte!"ed

tube (c).

S2

17. •t•

cannula closed.

54

lB. A aptr-eet.er

rec4rd1ng 1n progr ss using the

•r• 56

cannula. Not the lack ot

e

xter

n

al sealing pads on th

e

sheep'

n

ck.

19. lnterior of •be p shed. 62

20. Typical

�gen

spirometer graph. Note the

66

d

^ownw

&J'd

^bUps

•x•

produced during eructation.

Tbeae blips are d

e

to eea•t1on

of b

^rea

thing

abd ^{not to}

t

be e

n

t

ry of eructated.

gas into the apb'C��eter.

21. ^Met•boU

.

charts 1llu8trating:-

1.

The lack of

67 etteet

of pr-olonged tabollsm r

e

cord

i

ng

on tbe

reapiratar,r

�tt m and r

a t

e ot �gen oonaumption-

2.

The repee.tlb1Uty or

recordingat ohart

B ••

ilad•

8

Jdnutee after cbart A;

)

^.

Enetation

blip

•x• .

22. The effect of stan tlon on

the reap1rat017 pattern 75

�f

a Cbertot ....

u.

Plate 23. The energy metaboli experiment sheep 1/5/57 (prior to slaughter

on

8/5/5?).

Page

77

24. The respiratory pattern of a sheep before and 106 a.t"ter shearing

25. The respiratory pattern of a shorn sheep before 108

and

a rt e r wetting•

26. The respiratory pattern of an unahorn sheep before 109 and after wetting.

21. Oqgen spirometer graphs made with

an

eight minute 110 g p between recordings using the same

_sh

ep.

28.

A

tracheotomised

_calf.

1 27

29. The respirator;y patt

rn

of a

_rumina

ting sheep. 128 The points of regurgitation are marked by the

larg upward blips

"X".

30. Showing details of the design and construction 14 3 of the Rang eter.

31. Showing details of the design and construction 144 of the Rangemeter.

32• Showing detail of th design

_and

con truction 145 of the Rang eter.

J3. Showing details of the design

_and

construction 1..46 of

_th

Rang eter•

)4.

^{A vi} w

of

_tb

holding paddock, Tua

Paka, tak n

1.50

from

the

_central

ridge.

35• Range ter flock sh ep ustered for mileage 1 52 recording to b not d•

)6• h-ont and rear views ot sh ep in harness•

emet r 37. Ranney

_Mars

h nUl" sing lamb while 1n hamess.

111

1 5 )

151�

Page

Plate )8. Rang eter flock ewes on their way out to the 155 hill after mustering.

39. Rangemeter flock ewes on the bill. 156

40. Reading the Rangemeters. 157

41. Measuring the height at withers.

42. Blood dye injection. Note the sh

v

en neck.

iT

157

182

LIST OF TABLES

Table l. G. B. Meteorological Office weather data (average figures) for the recording stations nearest

to Romn ^y

Marsh

and

the Cheviot Hills

^•

Page 19

2. Chronological events--energy metabolism sheep-- ?0 19/9/56 to 8/8/5�.

). Showing for the energy metabolism

_xp

e

_rim

ent ewes: 85 a. M

an

llveweights in kilograms (exp riment Blocks

I ^•

VI). b. Square metres computed surface areas (experiment Block I

..

IV). c. Final liveweights in kilograms. d. Square metres measured surface area.

4. Showing (1) Th breed means

and

St. D1s per 86 experiment for o�gen consumption

in 11

tree per

five minutes. (2) The F. values derived

f'rom

between

breed

analyses of variance (Appendix A, tables 8, 9, 10, ll) carried out on the oJcygen conswnption data related to the following bases;

{a) Animal, (b) Kg. body weight, (c) Sq. metres surface ar as(computed), (d) Kg. body weight to the power o.n. (3) Si gni fi

can

ce of dif'f renoe between breeds. ( 4) Mean body weights for p

er

i

_{ods 1n}

ld:klgrams

^{• •}

5. Showing (1) The

_lamb

production data of ewes 1-10 88 in the energy taboll experiments. (2) The

�sis of variance between breeds for 1

b

rate of

_gain.

6.

The standard d

viations of the br ed mean for o2 90

consumption Within blocks xpr�ssed as percentages of the

m

ans (to

ⁿ ar

est �).

?. Showin ·•figur s in the lit rature and those 98 calcul ted tros the data

_in

'his project tor the

cal.Qries / 24 hour heat production of sheep•

8. Carcass and ol"'

an

data. nergy etabollsm exper1- 99 nt

• ea.

9.

Ha

tological data of nergy etabolism xperiment lOO ewes ?/S/S7.

T

Pag Table 10. Showing the o

_:x;y

g

e

n consumption records (litres 10?

o2/ S minutes) of' eleven she

p;

(l)

_Pr

and post snear1n , (2)

_Pre

and post wetting af'ter shearing, (3) Routine recordings with

an

eight minute tim e interval, ( 4) One f'inal routine recording.

ll. The mc;ygen con umption records

in

l it res consumed / 114 five lllinutes o f three

s

h

_e

e p each fed l l b. oats after twelve

_{l urs}

tarvation and

a ain

e ig h t hours later.

12. The f'f'eet of' thyroXin tr tment on the

_oxygen

ll?

consumption, respiration r

a

t e

_d

liveweight of one Rclnney Marsh ewe.

13. The

results

of analyses of' gas samples

_drawn

120 after t h e sh ep

_had

exhausted

_half

the resevoir

capacity of

_a

closed circuit oxygen spirometer.

14. The daily distances walked by different heep 134 breeds singly and in variou combinations (Louw

n. AY:.· 194a>.

1.5. The total

d1 tance

{in yarcl ) tr

^v

el

e

d by

ach

135 sheep during tw nty four hour period {England

19.54).

16. P er

_o

en

ta e

t

e p t

r sting

1n

the hours 7:00 136

a.m.

- 7:00

_P• .•

by lowland and hill beep, April - Sept ber (Hunwr 19.54).

1?. The av rag claiq distance walked by

tour

sh ep 136 br (Van R nsburg 1956).

18.

_et

r beep weights 24/8/57/ 158

19. M11 a

r

cord , Rangem t r sh

p,

28/7/56 - 160 2A-/8/57.

20. (1) Avera �

_gr

t r

w

ekl.y mileage travel 16) by Cheviot over

_ey she p,

within periods.

( 2) Signiticanc of ditf'er ne in

e

kly 1

_g

bet

n bre ds within

pe

r i od s

u.si

k (J) SignU'icanc of ditt renc b

tw en we

within periods within breeds.

vi

Page

Table 21. Le�els of significance of difference in weekly 165 mil ages between

consecutive

periods within

breeds using sh ep means.

22. Comparison of foreleg measurements, H�ematology 168 and Rangemeter sheep.

2). Comparison of height at withers measurements 168 ( unshom sheep) von Borstel (1951) and HaematolC?gy

flock this project.

24. The distribution of hi

_h

potassium �alues in the 17J red blood oells of British breeds of sheep (Evans

and Mounib 1957).

25. Summarising data in the literature on haematological 174 values for heep.

26.

S

arisin data

1n

the lit

_rature

on blood volumes 176 or she p (Hansard � �.

^-

195J).

27. The general production data of the Ha tology 185 flock.

28. Haematologieal data of the Haematology flock 8nd 186 the results of analyses of �ariance carried out

cm

the sam data.

29. Blood volum and r levant data-Haematology flock, 189 February/ 57.

JO. The

_{m an}

concentrations of.Potassium in tb whole 191 blood and red blood cells, Haematology flock J/10/

56, also data

_ex Evans

(19.54).