Effect of variation in light intensity on sheep movement through narrow and wide races

Abstract

The movement of flocks of 14 Border Leicester x Merino sheep through narrow and wide races was observed. A high partition across the race allowed light intensity to be varied independently on each side. The effects of various combinations of four levels of illumination, 1.4, 88, 350 and 1400 lux (i.e. dark, low, medium and bright, respectively) were examined. Different light intensities had little effect on the movement of sheep. Sheep moved more readily through or into brightly lit areas, and this response was clearly dependent upon the behaviour of the first sheep leading the flock. There was no evidence to suggest that the degree of contrast between different levels of illumination or the direction of change in light intensity, e.g. dark to bright vs bright to dark, were important. The results suggest that strong contrasts in light cannot be used to attract sheep to move along a race. However, they confirm that shearing sheds should be well lit to encourage sheep movement into and within the shed