www.sruc.ac.

uk

Genetic improvement of lamb

survival
Joanne Conington
joanne.conington@sruc.ac.uk

Cathy Dwyer, Ann McLaren

4 th International Congress on Sheep and Goats, Colombia 11-13 Julio 2019

1
El Reino Unido ~8,400 km de Colombia

2
 Sheep
DENSIDAD density
DE OVINOS
Scotland
Escocia
3.3M

N. Irlanda
N.Ireland
0.9M

Inglaterra
England 7M

Gales
Wales 4.3M

3
3
Temas de mi charla

• Why is lamb survival a hot topic?

• Key influences on lamb survival

– Vulnerable groups

• Dystocia (lambing difficulty)

• Including lamb survival in breeding programmes

4
 Poor lamb survival is key cause of
reproductive inefficiency in flocks globally

5
 Why is lamb mortality a hot
topic?
Mortality
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
1985
1989
1970
1973
1983

1990
1991
1991
1992
1993
1993
2000
2001
2003
2004
2005
2007
2009
2012
2014
2014
2014
Year

Published average percentage lamb mortality between 1970 and 2014 showing no
improvement over 40 years. The dotted line represents an overall average mortality of 6
15%. (After Dwyer et al. 2016)
World wide lamb mortality
Pre-weaning mortality %

7
Research in lamb mortality

Why aren’t we making any progress in

reducing lamb mortality?

8
Sources of lamb loss

• Failure to conceive
• Embryo mortality
• Foetal mortality/abortion
& Stillbirths
• Pre-weaning mortality
• Maternal mortality

9
9
Lamb survival

• Pre-weaning lamb mortality 10-30% - most within

1st 3 days of life
– Major source of inefficiency
– Key to profitable sheep farming

• Increasing lamb survival from 1.3 to 1.4 lambs

reared/ ewe is worth ~£126M in UK; $540M (AUD)
– 8% of farm gate value of sheep industry in Australia

• Lamb survival is a good indicator of animal welfare

– Used in farm assurance assessment
10
Temas de mi charla

• Why is lamb survival a hot topic?

• Key influences on lamb survival

– Vulnerable groups

• Dystocia (lambing difficulty)

• Including lamb survival in breeding programmes

11
Influences on lamb survival
Pre-natal factors
Immune function, cognition,
stress

Nutrition and
feeding
Genetics

Health and
immunity
Behaviour

Physiology
12
Pre-weaning mortality

• Causes of mortality:

– Hunger, hypothermia
– Birth difficulty
– Adaptation to life outside the uterus!
– Maternal abandonment
– Infectious disease (generally older animals)
– Congenital abnormality
– Misadventure

13
Improving offspring survival

• Management:
– Maternal nutrition to optimise neonatal birth weight
• Importance of Digestible Undegradable Protein (DUP)
– Avoid stress at birth and of pregnant / lactating dam
– Manage thermal environment
• shelter
– Good hygiene

• Genetics:
– Breeding for improved maternal behaviour
– Breeding for lamb survival / neonatal vigour
14
Ewe body condition score at lambing &
lamb survival
13 Australian farms (Behrendt et al. 2011 Anim.Prod.Sci. 51: 805)

Ewe nutrition Condition Score at Parity Lamb Survival

during pregnancy Lambing (%)
Low 2.3 Single bearing 85
+6
High 3.2 Single bearing 91

Low 2.2 Twin bearing 57

+14
High 3.2 Twin bearing 71

 Lamb survival up by 6 in single & 14 % points in twin-bearing ewes,

with increase of 1 condition score
 Even with optimal ewe nutrition, survival in twins is only 71%, whereas
single survival >90%
 Considerable scope to improve survival in twins 152016
Brien et al,
Ewe body condition score at lambing &
lamb survival
13 Australian farms (Behrendt et al. 2011 Anim.Prod.Sci. 51: 805)

Ewe nutrition Condition Score at Parity Lamb Survival

during pregnancy Lambing (%)
Low 2.3 Single bearing 85
+6
High 3.2 Single bearing 91

Low 2.2 Twin bearing 57

+14
High 3.2 Twin bearing 71

 Lamb survival up by 6 in single & 14 % points in twin-bearing ewes,

with increase of 1 condition score
 Even with optimal ewe nutrition, survival in twins is only 71%, whereas
single survival >90%
 Considerable scope to improve survival in twins 162016
Brien et al,
 Nutrient requirements increase

100
Placenta
80
Weight as % of weight

60 Only 25% of final

Fluids weight with just 6
at parturition

weeks to go!
40

20 Foetus

0
12 10 8 6 4 2 0
Weeks pre-term
17
Not a time for low quality feeds when intake is constrained
 Beta Hydroxybutyrate* =
indicator of metabolic stress

Blood test last 3-6 weeks prior to parturition

*beta-hidroxibutirato 18
Muir & Thomson 2009
Ultrasound scanning - % ewes
carrying singles, twins, triplets, quad

19
Birth weights of Blackface lambs
(n=21,738)

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Lamb birth weight and mortality

0.50

0.45

0.40

0.35
mortality rate

0.30

0.25

0.20

0.15

0.10

0.05

0.00
2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7

birth weight

National records - Blackface breed n= 173,895 lamb records 1976 - 2011

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Birth weight

Getting birth weight right is critical for lamb survival

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Influences on lamb survival

• Successful suckling requires appropriate behaviour

of mother and young
– Maternal cooperation and udder access
– Activity and coordination in neonate

• Colostrum ingestion for disease protection and to

generate heat

• Poor lamb–dam bonding can lead to

hypothermia and starvation
23
Body temperature and survival

Died <3d Died prewean Survived

40

39
Lamb rectal temperature

38

37

36

35

34
temp at birth temp at 2 h temp at 24 h
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Losses in relation to vigour

• Wanted : Vigorous lamb Time (mins)

that stands, reaches the 180
Stand Suck attempt
udder and sucks quickly 160
• Maintain body temperature 140
• Lamb loses heat to ground 120
4X faster than to air
100
• Reduced risk of getting
80
infectious disease
• Better maternal 60

relationship and milk intake 40

and hence better growth 20

rate 0
Survived Died postnatal Died neonatal
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Thermoregulation and behaviour
Newborn
30-60
minutes

At risk – no colostrum Newborns that are quicker to

Newborn
30-60
reach the udder, find a teat and
minutes suckle are more likely to survive

Suckling improves thermoregulation 26

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 Lamb survival in adverse weather

• Multiples at risk, smallest

of 3 very susceptible
• Underfed ewes produce
light lambs with poor
temperature regulating
ability and lower reserves
• Birth coat depth important
80% of lamb mortality • Amount of colostrum
due to starvation/ critical in first 2 days
hypothermia/ • Lamb vigour
mismothering • Maternal behaviour

27
Temas de mi charla

• Why is lamb survival a hot topic?

• Key influences on lamb survival

– Vulnerable groups

• Dystocia (lambing difficulty)

• Including lamb survival in breeding programmes

28
Giving birth is risky!

• Nearly half of all offspring mortality occurs on the

day of birth

• Birth difficulty increases the likelihood of stillbirth

• Birth difficulty also increases the likelihood of dying

at any age

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Giving birth

• Significantly more likely to die after an assisted

delivery:
– Asphyxia during delivery (70-90% stillborn piglets)
– CNS haemorrhage (70-80% of calf and lamb perinatal
mortalities)
– Physical trauma during delivery
(7% calves delivered with traction
have fractures)

• Effects on adjustment to post-natal

life
30
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Effects of birth difficulty on
offspring vigour

Unassisted Minor Assist Assisted

Time from birth (mins)

100 P<0.01
90 Failure to suck significantly associated
with meningeal (brain) haemorrhage
80
and dystocia (Dutra et al., 2007)
70
60
P<0.001
50
40
P<0.01
P<0.001
30
20
10
0
Stands To udder Suck attempt Sucks
31
31
(Dwyer, 2003)
Birth difficulty and survival

Main differences
occur in early
postnatal period

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32
Maternal behaviour

• Poor maternal behaviour in sheep

– Abandonment
– Failure to develop ‘selectivity’ for own lamb
– Aggression

• Known to have a genetic component

Lambe, Conington et al 2001 Animal Science 72, 415-425

3333
Does selection influence lambing
difficulty?

Does selection of hill sheep using a

breeding index designed to improve
performance affects the incidence of
lambing difficulties?
3,700 lambing records 2001-2004

34 34
Lambing difficulty codes

• 0- No difficulty
• 1- Normal presentation, assisted
• 2- 1 leg back
• 3- 2 legs back
• 4- Head back
• 5- Back legs first
• 6- Breech
• 7- 2 lambs together

35 35
Assisted lambings

120

100

80
No.
records Farm 1
60
Farm 2

40 Total

20

0
normal 1 leg 2 legs head back breech 2
back back back legs lambs
first tog.

36 36
37

Results - genetic line effects

Line Lambing difficulty
(probability)

S 0.07ab

C 0.05b

I 0.10a

• I line significantly greater risk than C line

• S line not significantly different from other
line
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Main influences on lambing
difficulty

• Sire and dam (genetic influence)

• Year
• Dam age (highest in 2 y.o.)
• Sex of lamb (M > F)
• Litter size (twins > single ; bwt -adjusted S>T)
• Still birth
• Birth weight
• Pre-tupping ewe weight

38
Main conclusions
• No difference between Selection vs Control lines
• Higher incidence in the line selected by visual
means (Industry line)
Antagonistic genetic
– commercial
association between
selection for body shape which also
increases dystocia??
muscularity and lambing ease
– Influence of ‘strong’ horns??

39 39
Temas de mi charla

• Why is lamb survival a hot topic?

• Key influences on lamb survival

– Vulnerable groups

• Dystocia (lambing difficulty)

• Including lamb survival in breeding programmes

40
New R & D @ SRUC

Breeding
higher lamb
survival

41
Aims

1. Identify sires and families with high survival rates

– EBVs for lamb survival

2. Can lamb survival be included into breeding

programme with other traits ?

3. Which factors are critical to understanding/

implementing genetic analysis of lamb survival?

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What did we do?

• Blackface data from Signet’s Sheepbreeder

• 173,895 lamb records 1976 - 2011
– 53,593 dams, 4,184 sires, 70 flocks

43
National data used

• Lleyn n= 51,174 2002-2013 47 flocks

• Dorset n= 15,433 2002-2013 20 flocks

• Texel n=48,995 2002-2013 108 flocks

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Definition of lamb survival?

Measurement opportunities are limited

Weaning
Birth ~20wks

Mid-
lactation
~8 wks
45
Definition of lamb survival?

Measurement opportunities are limited

Weaning
Birth ~20wks

Mid-
Day 1-3
lactation
~8 wks
46
Lamb survival definitions

0 1 2

SURV01 Dead - Born dead and Alive – lambs -

lambs born alive but no with live weights
subsequent live weights

SURV12
Dead - Born dead only Dead -Born alive Alive – lambs
but no with live weights
subsequent live
weights

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Results -% in each category

0 1 2
Surv 0/1 12.2 87.8 -
Surv 0/1/2 5.5 6.7 87.8

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Females have survival odds 1.3
that of male lambs

lcl= 0.70, ucl=0.79, s.e.d.= 0.03 49

 Lamb behaviours - Sex effects

Ma le s Fe ma le s

Time sin c e la mb birth (min s)

150
135
120
105
90
75
60
45
30
15
0
Sta n d To u dde r Su c k a tte mp t Su c k
Dwyer, 2003 50
Survival odds and litter size

51
Age of dam & survival

52
Can we breed for ‘good’ behaviours?

Birth Vigour Sucking

Assistance Assistance

Birth Assistance 0.26 ± 0.033 0.38 ± 0.011 0.29 ± 0.011

Vigour 0.68 ± 0.059 0.39 ± 0.037 0.60 ± 0.008

Sucking 0.54 ± 0.074 0.80 ± 0.038 0.31 ± 0.034

Assistance

(Matheson et al., 2012) 53

53
Lamb survival – 4 breeds in the UK

• Percent recorded as dead

16

14

12

10

% 6

Blckface Lleyn Dorset Texel

54
 Genetic evaluation of lamb
survival
No. relatives & accuracy
0.5

0.4
Accuracy

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
Own (O) O+Sire(S)+Dam (D) O+S+D+30 ½-Sibs OSD+30 ½-Sibs+
30 progeny
55
Heritability of lamb survival 5 – 9 %

10

7
Heritability

5
%

Blckface Lleyn Dorset Texel

56
 Genetic trend: Lamb Survival &
Litter Size New Zealand

Direct Lamb Survival 0.16

No. of Lambs Born (NLB
0.012 eBV)
0.14
0.010 + 1.0 lamb weaned 0.12 +13 lambs born per 100
0.008 0.10
0.006 0.08
0.004 0.06
0.04
0.002
0.02
0.000
0.00
1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
-0.002 -0.021995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015
-0.004
Yea Year

 Small genetic increase in lamb survival under index selection

 Achieved against a much larger increase in litter size
Young & Newman 2016
(unpublished) 57
Implications?

• Lamb survival is heritable and can be used in

sheep breeding programmes

• Data quality poor - better ways to encourage dead

lambs to be recorded, required?

If we do, h2 will
increase
faster genetic
progress
58
Take home messages

• There exists a genetic component to lamb survival

• Birth weight is central to lamb survival & lambing

ease

• Male lambs and lambs from older ewes have

higher mortality*
– Preferential treatment ?

• Managing multiple litters well, is key to avoiding

higher rate of death
59
Take home messages (2)

• Selecting for ‘strong’ horns and (extreme)

muscularity leads to more lambing difficulties

• Lambs that have had difficult births have higher

mortality
– lower lifetime production?

• Much interest in Europe (& UK) to reduce lamb

mortality
– Pressures to reduce ‘waste’, improve welfare, image etc.
60
61

Acknowledgements

61
62
Is survival of lambs from high-
performing ewes worse than low-
performers?
• Higher litter sizes leads to higher death rates
– singles ~ 10%
– twins ~ 15%
– triplets ~ 30%

• No difference in survival rates of lambs from high

or low index ewes.

• Management options to improve survival

63 63
64

Number of records

Data from 2 Scottish Blackface farms - 10 years

1996-2005, 267 sires

Trait N Mort. (%) Mean age

Uncen. at death
Viability at birth 15,652 5.4 NA
1d to 14 d 14,806 2.6 4.4
15d to 120d 14,398 3.9 66
121d to 180 d 13,442 1.8 144

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Dam age affects lamb survival at birth

4.5
4.0
VB
3.5
Odds Ratio

3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
2 3 4 5 6+
Age of dam (year)

65 65
Dam age affects lamb survival post-
birth

2.5
2.3
2.1 S1-14
Hazard Ratio

1.9
1.7
1.5
1.3
1.1
0.9
0.7
0.5
2 3 4 5 6+
Age of dam (year) 66 66
Sex of lamb affects lamb survival

Odds and Hazard Ratios

(Males to Females)
S121-
4.0 180
3.5
3.0
2.5
Ratios

S15-120
2.0 S1-14
1.5 VB
1.0 Male lambs much more
0.5 vulnerable than females
0.0

67 67
Lamb survival is under genetic control

Heritability = 0.15

No. lambs born 0 - 0.15

Lamb survival 0.02 - 0.05
Ewe longevity 0.08
Weaning weight 0.30 - 0.40
Ultrasonic fat depth 0.15 - 0.50
Ultrasonic muscle depth 0.15 - 0.30
Faecal Egg Count 0.10 - 0.30
Fibre diameter 0.45 - 0.70
68 68
 Testing Hill2 indexnetic lines: Selection - Industry - Control
500

400
The index is being tested
on 2 farms, each with the
300
3 genetic lines
200 C
index

I
100 S

0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
-100

-200
BLUP breeding values for
carcass and maternal traits
350
combined into index
300

250

200
C
150
index

I
100
S Differences between lines
50
emerging
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
-50

-100

70 70
Birth weight and mortality rate – SAC data

Sawalha, Conington, et al 2007 Animal 01:1 151-157

71