The maternal-offspring relationship in tailed and docked ewes and their lambs

Maternal behavior in the hours after lambing is critical for establishing the lamb–dam bond. In rodents, early-life pain alters maternal behavior, but it is unclear whether routine painful procedures like tail docking have similar long-term effects in sheep. We tested whether neonatal tail docking in female lambs altered (1) their maternal behavior and their offspring’s behavior after lambing and (2) behavioral and physiological stress responses to separation. Polypay ewe lambs were tail docked using the rubber ring method between 24 to 36 hours of age (n=11) or left undocked (n=10). At approximately 13 months of age, they gave birth to singleton (n=6) or twin (n=15) litters. Between 30 to 60 minutes after the last lamb’s birth, the ewe and her lamb(s) were moved to an individual maternity pen, where behaviors were video recorded for 2 hours. Between 6 to 12 hours after lambing, the lambs were separated from their dam for 15 minutes, with video recordings taken from 15 minutes before se..., , , # The maternal-offspring relationship in tailed and docked ewes and their lambs This repository contains the data and R scripts used in the experiment described in the paper of the same name. The materials support analyses examining whether neonatal tail docking in ewes affects their own or their lambs’ behavior during the early postnatal period and following a brief separation event. ## Study Overview We tested the long-term behavioral and physiological effects of neonatal tail docking in ewes by evaluating: 1. **Bonding behaviors** of docked or undocked ewes and their lambs during the early postnatal period. 2. **Responses to ewe-lamb separation**, approximately 6–12 hours postpartum. **Subjects:** Polypay ewe lambs were randomly assigned to a tail docking treatment: * Docked using the rubber ring method at 24–36 hours old (n = 11) * Left undocked (n = 10) At ~13 months of age, they gave birth to singleton (n = 6) or twin (n = 15) litters. **Observation Schedule:** * **Postna...,产羔后数小时内的母性行为，是建立羔羊-母羊联结（lamb–dam bond）的关键环节。在啮齿类动物中，早期疼痛暴露会改变母性行为，但目前尚不清楚诸如断尾术（tail docking）这类常规有创操作，是否会对绵羊产生类似的长期影响。本研究旨在探究：新生期接受断尾处理的母羔成长为母羊后，其产羔后的母性行为与子代行为是否会受到影响，以及母羊与羔羊分离后的行为与生理应激反应是否发生改变。 受试的波里派（Polypay）母羔被随机分为两组：一组于出生后24~36小时采用橡胶环法（rubber ring method）实施断尾处理（n=11），另一组保留完整尾椎（未断尾组，n=10）。这些母羊于约13月龄时产羔，其中单羔窝次6窝，双羔窝次15窝。最后一只羔羊产出后的30~60分钟内，将母羊与其羔羊转移至独立产仔栏，使用录像设备连续记录2小时的行为数据。产羔后6~12小时期间，将羔羊与母羊分离15分钟，并于分离前15分钟开始录像记录…… # 断尾与未断尾母羊及其子代的母仔关系 本数据集仓库包含同名论文中所述实验的原始数据与R语言脚本，相关材料可用于分析新生母羊的断尾处理是否会影响其产后早期的自身行为或子代行为，以及短暂分离后的相关行为变化。 ## 研究概述 本研究通过评估以下两项内容，探究母羊新生期断尾处理的长期行为与生理影响： 1. **产仔早期断尾与未断尾母羊及其子代的联结行为** 2. **产后约6~12小时时母羊与子代分离的应激反应** ### 受试对象 波里派（Polypay）母羔被随机分配至以下断尾处理组： · 出生后24~36小时采用橡胶环法实施断尾（n=11） · 保留完整尾椎（未断尾组，n=10） 受试母羊于约13月龄时产羔，其中单羔窝次6窝，双羔窝次15窝。 ### 观测流程 * **产后……**