The presence and molecular characterization of Clostridium perfringens in healthy Merino lambs over a six-month period was investigated in this study. Overall, a high prevalence of C. perfringens was detected, even in day-old lambs. Even though the majority of the isolates were characterized as being of type A, types C and D were also isolated. Furthermore, a high genetic diversity was observed...

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds have suffered recent declines across their previous range, and desert bighorn sheep (O. c. mexicana) are listed as an endangered species in New Mexico. One factor affecting growth rates of these populations is low and variable lamb recruitment. Capturing and radio-collaring lambs can provide opportunities for collecting valuable information on factors poten...

Pregnant ewes were infected in midpregnancy with three isolates of Chlamydia pecorum derived from the feces of healthy lambs from three different farms. Oral infection, alone or together with Fasciola hepatica, did not result in tissue invasion, since all placental and fecal samples were negative for chlamydiae. Intravenous infection resulted in placental infection in 16 of 18 ewes in that chla...

Effects of partial docking on feedlot performance and body fat characteristics were studied in a fat-tailed sheep breed. Thirty-eight male lambs with an average weight of 4.44 ± 0.48 were randomly divided into two groups. The lambs in one group were partially docked at 3-4 h after birth, using rubber rings, and the lambs in another group remained intact (control). After weaning, 20 male lambs f...

An experiment was carried out to evaluate how interactions between forage to concentrate ratio and dietary crude protein level may alter nitrogen efficiency and UT-B expression in growing Baluchi male lambs. Four Baluchi male lambs [30 ± 2 kg BW] were used in a 4 × 4 latin square design with 28-d periods and a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments. The treatments fed forage: concent...

We aimed to determine the effect of relocation whole-plant corn silage (WPCS) with different fermentation profiles on ingestive behavior lambs. Twenty-four male Santa Inês lambs, were used in a completely randomized block design based initial body weight (17.5 ± 1.8 kg) for following treatments: CS: WPCS (not inoculated and not relocated); R-12h: relocated 12h; IR-12h: Lactobacillus plantarum R...

Recently, Clostridium difficile has been isolated from a wide variety of animals, particularly production animals, mainly cattle and pigs. Concurrently, the incidence of C. difficile infection (CDI) in humans has increased in the community, with some suggestions that food-borne transmission of C. difficile is occurring. Interestingly, sheep and lambs appear not to have been investigated for car...

Predation by coyotes (Canis latram) on domestic sheep is a problem for many livestock producers throughout the United States Intermountain West. We examined whether surgical sterilization of coyote packs would modify their predatory behavior and reduce predation rates on domestic sheep as compared to coyote packs with pups. From June 1997 to December 1997, we gathered baseline information on co...

Copper oxide wire particles (COWP) have been used to reduce infection of Haemonchus contortus in hair breed lambs in southeastern USA without signs of copper toxicity. However, copper sensitivity among breeds and regions varies. The objective was to determine the effectiveness and safety of COWP in lactating Polypay ewes and their offspring grazing alfalfa/bluegrass pasture in a rotational graz...

A consequence of increasing litter size in sheep is that a portion of the lambs have to be reared artificially. Detailed information about the pattern of milk consumption of artificially reared lambs would help improve their management. The purpose of this study is to describe the individual and group feeding behaviour of 94 Romane artificially reared lambs from 5 to 28 days of age using an ele...