The impact of age and body weight on acclimation to electronic feeding stations of weaning lambs

TL;DR

Weaning lambs can learn to use electronic feeders quickly, with age and weight affecting how soon they start using them.

Contribution

This study provides new insights into how weaning lambs adapt to electronic feeders without prior training.

Findings

All lambs adapted to electronic feeders within two days without training.

Age and body weight significantly influenced the time of the first feeder visit.

Most lambs established regular feeder use from the first day.

Abstract

•Lambs adapt to the use of electronic feeder without prior training within two days.•The age and weight of the lambs influences the first time of feeder visit.•The majority of the lambs establish a regular feeder visit from the first day.

Lambs adapt to the use of electronic feeder without prior training within two days.

The age and weight of the lambs influences the first time of feeder visit.

The majority of the lambs establish a regular feeder visit from the first day.

The use of electronic and automatic feeders has become widespread in modern livestock farming for gathering precise data on individual animals. While these technologies are commonly used for pigs and dairy cattle, there is very limited information on their application in sheep. Specifically, the time it takes for lambs to acclimate to these new feeding stations remains largely unknown. The use of electronic feeders equipped with entry-exit gates was studied with weaned lambs. 36 Suffolk lambs were observed over a 48-hour period. Data on the first visit of the feeders and the frequency of visits were collected over a 48-hour period. Additionally, the feeder’s regular use, defined as visiting the feeder station for three consecutive days, was evaluated over an extended period. The animals were provided additional feed in troughs until the end of the second day of the study. All lambs (100 %) adapted to the electronic feeder without prior training within two days. Key findings revealed no significant difference between sexes in the time taken for the first feeder visit. However, the age (P = 0.048) and body weight (P = 0.035) of the lambs significantly influenced the initial visitation time, suggesting that younger/lighter individuals may approach the novel system sooner. Furthermore, 72.2 % of the lambs established regular feeder use from the first day. Further study is recommended to determine the extent to which the adaptation period is shortened without supplementary feed.

Figures