A relationship between faecal egg counts and the distance travelled by sheep

The movement distances of merino sheep were monitored over a 24h period using global positioning system tracking collars and correlated with their faecal egg counts. A linear relationship between the logarithm of faecal egg count and the mean distance moved per time step was found. The results sugge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Small ruminant research 2013-04, Vol.111 (1-3), p.171-174
Main Authors: Falzon, G., Schneider, D., Trotter, M., Lamb, D.W.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal behavior
collars
eggs
fecal egg count
Genetic selection
GPS tracking
Internal parasites
Merino
parasites
Sheep
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Summary:The movement distances of merino sheep were monitored over a 24h period using global positioning system tracking collars and correlated with their faecal egg counts. A linear relationship between the logarithm of faecal egg count and the mean distance moved per time step was found. The results suggest that animal behaviour and productivity outcomes might be influenced even at low faecal egg count levels. The considerable variability of the observations about this linear model suggests that it might be useful for identifying those animals inherently resistant to internal parasites. Such technology could be used as part of a breeding program aimed at improving stock resistance to internal parasites.
ISSN:0921-4488
1879-0941
DOI:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2012.09.001