Effect of environmental food enrichment on the behaviour of sheep kept in permanent housing Abstract

The growing concern for the animal welfare in intensive production systems has led to the development of different environmental enrichment programmes, with the aim of optimizing the degree of behav- ioral diversity of farm animals to improve their welfare. The objective of this work was to assess the effect of an environmental enrichment on the behavior profile of housed sheep. Pregnant, lactating, and non-pregnant adult ewes from the experimental farm of the Veterinary Faculty of the Complutense University of Madrid were randomly distributed in 9 experimental groups of 4 ewes, 3 groups per physiological state. Nutritional environmental enrichment consisted in providing 25 % of the ration volume, alfalfa hay, in a mesh suspended from the ceiling with platform to facilitate access to the mesh, also administering hay in the usual feeder. The frequencies and the time that the sheep dedicated to the expression of the different behaviors were recorded for 1h over the 4 test days. Lactating ewes made immediate use of the enrichment, while pregnant ewes learned to eat from the mesh, because they did not eat from the mesh the first day, but they did the following days. At the end of the four days the frequency and time that ewes spent eating in the different sites was higher than the first day, as well as the social interactions in pregnant and dry ewes, being lower the frequency and time they spent standing. The provided environmental enrichment has kept ewes occupied and distracted, expressing for a longer time a repertoire of natural behaviors, and consequently, improving their welfare.