Table1_Perinatal behavioral patterns during and after human-animal interactions in rangeland breeding ewes.docx

Consistent individual behavioral differences (CIDs) among livestock are known to be inherent qualities of the animal that are repeatable over time and across contexts and can be related to production. Shepherds rely on qualities of the ewe to promote lamb health, survival, and performance, and selecting ewes based on desirable phenotypes may be one way to benefit lamb outcome. Previous research indicates that traits observed among breeding ewes in restrained contexts during human-animal interactions (HAIs) may have a greater association with maternal care and lamb outcome than responses in an open testing environment. The current study investigated the relationship between several behaviors in multiparous ewes (n = 42) in two distinct contexts: 1) human-animal interactions, with no lamb present, during post-breeding, gestation, and weaning, which were performed three times per year for 2 years (six trials in total), and 2) HAIs, with the lamb present, after parturition once per year for 2 years (two trials in total). Tests without the lamb present included a Human Contact, Presence, and Approach test within each of the six trials, and tests with the lamb present included a Lamb Handling and Tie Down test. General additive models with a random term for individual were used to investigate the relationship between behaviors from outside of the lambing season to behaviors within the lambing season. The proportion of time in the ‘peripheral zone’ in the Human Presence test, at post-breeding, was a significant negative predictor of ‘environmental vigilance’ (i.e., being on look-out rather than attending to lamb) in the Lamb Tie Down test (P=0.02). A post-hoc negative relationship was found between ‘environmental vigilance’ and ‘sniffing/grooming’ the lamb in the Lamb Tie Down test. In addition, sheep who were more environmentally vigilant in the Lamb Tie Down test were less avoidant of the human in the Human Presence test (post-breeding). Weaning weights, yet not birth weights, were highly repeatable within ewes [R=0.70, P=0.001, CI(0.29, 0.91)], and weaning weight models were improved with the inclusion of time in the ‘peripheral zone’ in the Human Presence test and grooming and ‘environmental vigilance’ in the Lamb Tie Down test. Of note, the avoidance of the human, when the lamb was not present, was associated with weaning weights and therefore could be considered as a metric to consider when selecting ewes. Ewe behavior in response to humans outside of the lambing season be useful in gauging future maternal behavior (i.e., grooming) and lamb birth and weaning weights.

家畜个体间的一致性个体行为差异（Consistent individual behavioral differences, CIDs）是动物的固有特质，其具备时间与情境上的可重复性，且与生产性能密切相关。牧羊人依托母羊的相关特质以提升羔羊的健康水平、存活率与生产性能，基于优良表型（phenotype）选择母羊，或可成为改善羔羊培育成效的有效途径。此前研究表明，在人与动物互动（human-animal interactions, HAIs）的受限情境中观测到的育种母羊行为特质，相较于开放测试环境中的反应，与母性照料及羔羊培育成效的关联更为紧密。

本研究针对42头经产母羊（n=42）在两种不同情境下的多种行为间的关联展开探究：
1. 无羔羊在场的人与动物互动情境：分别于配种后、妊娠期及断奶期开展测试，每年进行3次，持续2年，总计6轮测试；
2. 有羔羊在场的人与动物互动情境：于产后每年开展1次测试，持续2年，总计2轮测试。

无羔羊在场的测试包含每轮测试中的“人类接触、存在与接近测试”，有羔羊在场的测试则包含“羔羊处理与固定测试”。本研究采用纳入个体随机效应的广义加性模型（general additive models），探究非产羔季行为与产羔季行为间的关联。

配种后阶段，“人类存在测试”中处于“边缘区域”的时间占比，可显著负向预测“羔羊固定测试”中的“环境警戒行为（即专注瞭望而非照料羔羊）”（P=0.02）。进一步事后分析显示，“羔羊固定测试”中的“环境警戒行为”与“嗅探/梳理羔羊”行为呈显著负相关。此外，在“羔羊固定测试”中表现出更强环境警戒行为的母羊，在配种后阶段的“人类存在测试”中对人类的回避程度更低。

母羊的断奶重（而非初生重）具有极高的组内重复性[R=0.70, P=0.001, 置信区间（confidence interval, CI）(0.29, 0.91)]；若将“人类存在测试”中的边缘区域停留时长、“羔羊固定测试”中的梳理行为及环境警戒行为纳入模型，可显著优化断奶重预测模型的拟合效果。值得注意的是，无羔羊在场时母羊对人类的回避行为与断奶重显著相关，因此可将其作为母羊选育过程中的参考指标之一。

综上，产羔季外母羊对人类的行为反应，可用于预测其未来的母性行为（如梳理行为）以及羔羊的初生重与断奶重。