Maternal and neonatal behaviors of Ouled Djellal sheep breed and their effects on production parameters

Abstract Our study evaluated maternal and neonatal behaviors of the Algerian Ouled Djellal native sheep breed, their effects on growth and mortality of lambs from birth to weaning, and the influence of biotic factors related to mother or lamb on variation of their behaviors. Maternal behavior was scored (MBS) for 200 ewes on the day of lambing on a 5-points scale, based on the distance a ewe retreats from her lambs when lambs were handled, while neonatal behavior (NLB) was recorded for 52 lambs. The MBS for Ouled Djellal ewes indicated that 31.5% were good and 44% were excellent mothers. Multiparous ewes showed improved MBS compared to primiparous ( P P P P r  = 0.21, P r  = −0.70, P P P P