Some aspects of body temperature regulation in sheep

Abstract

SummarySkin temperatures, deep body temperatures and respiratory rates have been measured in Southdown and Merino sheep following feeding, and during infra-red irradiation, rumen infusions of hot and cold water, and cold exposure induced by shearing. The increases in respiratory rate and skin temperatures induced by infra-red heating and the heat increment of feeding were reversed by addition of iced water to the rumen and were suppressed by shearing. These responses could not be systematically related to particular body temperatures in the sheep and appeared to be continuously variable rather than ‘all-or-none’ phenomena. Considerable overlap was observed between respiratory and vasomotor mechanisms of thermoregulation. Measurements of the surface area and weight of ears and legs showed that these regions contribute approximately 23% of the surface area and 8% of the body weight in Merino sheep. Calculations suggested that up to 70% of the additional heat produced in the 2 h after feeding in sheep may be stored in the tissues through increase in mean body temperature. Sheep kept in short wool throughout the winter appeared to establish a new thermoregulatory ‘set-point’ associated with lower rectal temperatures than those in sheep with a full fleece.