nfluence of color of the furriery in physiological and behavioral parameters of Santa Inês breed sheep in the Sun and in the shade

Abstract

The purpose of this literature review was to describe the physiological and behavioral parameters of Santa Inês breed sheep of different coat colorings, created in environments with or without shading. The authors observed physiological parameters such as rectal temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, behavioral activities, as well as the coloring of the furriery. There was consensus among the various authors as to the effect of the period of the day, on rectal temperature and heart rate of the animals, which were significantly higher in the afternoon than in the morning. The afternoon shift presented high caloric stress conditions, with these animals in a situation of danger, in relation to the thermal comfort index. With respect to the peltry animals coloring of dark furriery presented a higher respiratory rate than those of Bush, of course, and may mean that these animals were not able to dissipate all the heat required to keep your body temperature within the basal medium 39.1° C limit. Animals kept in the Sun devoted less time to feed daily, performing activities that require less drive, as rumination and idleness, in respect of animals kept in shaded environment, where most of the time was for grazing activities, which reached weight gain with greater ease in the same time period. In this way, the artificial or natural shading provides the thermal comfort, bringing the production performance, and showing the potential animal fitness, keeping the body temperature, rectal temperature, heart rate and respiratory rate to normal levels, not spending effort to it.