The effect of method of rearing on the social behaviour of Scottish Blackface hoggets

Abstract

SUMMARYFour groups of Scottish Blackface ewe lambs were reared in the period 11–52 weeks old under different regimes. The regimes differed in the age of the lambs at which they were separated from their dams and whether having been separated they were together in a field and/or penned together n i a sheep shed.These regimes caused differences in social behaviour among the four groups and also resulted in the groups adopting different parts (home ranges) of an enclosed 350 acre hill pasture. The various home ranges within the pasture are dissimilar environments and it is argued that home range and method-of-rearing effects will be confounded making statistical comparisons between the different rearing treatments impossible.