Sheep movement on slatted floors

Abstract

The effect of three factors on the movement of sheep on raised, slatted floors was tested: 1. light intensity below the floor - dark, medium, or bright; 2. alignment of battens - across or along the direction of movement; and 3. race width - 0.5 m or 1.5 m wide. Light intensity did not affect movement across the battens, but sheep were hesitant to move along the battens at medium and bright light intensities in 0.5 m wide races and at bright light intensities in 1.5 m wide races. In a Y-maze sheep showed no significant preference for moving on any of the four floor and light combinations used in six tests, but when the data were pooled, sheep showed a significant preference for moving across the direction of the battens, regardless of the light intensity below. These results suggest that movement of sheep through a shearing shed might be improved by covering the sides of the shed to exclude light from beneath the floor and by ensuring that the battens are always aligned across the direction of sheep movement.