Motivation to obtain a food reward of pregnant ewes in negative energy balance: Behavioural, metabolic and endocrine considerations

Low food availability often coincides with pregnancy in grazing animals. This study investigated how chronic reductions in food intake affected feeding motivation, and metabolic and endocrine parameters in pregnant sheep, which might be indicative of compromised welfare. Ewes with an initial Body Co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hormones and behavior 2012-07, Vol.62 (2), p.162-172
Main Authors: Verbeek, E., Waas, J.R., Oliver, M.H., McLeay, L.M., Ferguson, D.M., Matthews, L.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Animal Feed
Animals
Behavior, Animal - physiology
Behavioral psychophysiology
Behavioural demand
Biological and medical sciences
Body condition score
Body Constitution - physiology
Body Weight - physiology
Endocrine system
Endocrine System - metabolism
Endocrine System - physiology
Energy balance
Energy Metabolism - physiology
Feeding motivation
Female
Food Deprivation - physiology
Food supply
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hormones - blood
Hormones - metabolism
Hormones and behavior
Hunger
Leptin
Metabolism
Metabolism - physiology
Motivation - physiology
Pregnancy
Pregnancy, Animal - blood
Pregnancy, Animal - metabolism
Pregnancy, Animal - physiology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Random Allocation
Reward
Sheep
Welfare
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Summary:Low food availability often coincides with pregnancy in grazing animals. This study investigated how chronic reductions in food intake affected feeding motivation, and metabolic and endocrine parameters in pregnant sheep, which might be indicative of compromised welfare. Ewes with an initial Body Condition Score of 2.7±0.3 (BCS; 0 indicates emaciation and 5 obesity) were fed to attain low (LBC 2.0±0.0,), medium (MBC 2.9±0.1) or high BCS (HBC 3.7±0.1) in the first trimester of pregnancy. A feeding motivation test in which sheep were required to walk a set distance for a palatable food reward was conducted in the second trimester. LBC and MBC ewes consumed more rewards (P=0.001) and displayed a higher expenditure (P=0.02) than HBC ewes, LBC ewes also tended to consume more rewards than MBC ewes (P=0.09). Plasma leptin and glucose concentrations were inversely correlated to expenditure (both P
ISSN:0018-506X
1095-6867
DOI:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2012.06.006