Effect Of Pen Enrichment On Performance And Behavior Of Isolated West African Dwarf Rams
Format of work:
Journal Article
Event presented at / Journal Name:
International Journal of Environmental Sciences
Speaker / Contact Author's Name:
Olufemi Mobolaj Alabi
Speaker / Contact Author's E-mail Address:
olufemi.alabi@bowen.edu.ng
-
Research aim:
This study aimed to investigate whether visual environmental enrichment, including mirrors and coloured pen walls, could reduce stress and improve welfare in socially isolated West African Dwarf rams. Specifically, the authors examined how different colour treatments combined with mirrors affected behavioural responses, physiological indicators, feeding patterns, and growth performance during isolation. The study sought to identify enrichment strategies that may help mitigate the negative welfare impacts associated with social separation in confined sheep systems.
-
Background:
Sheep are highly social animals, and isolation from conspecifics can act as a major stressor, negatively affecting behaviour, welfare, and productivity. In commercial systems, confinement environments are often barren and provide limited opportunities for natural or socially motivated behaviours. Environmental enrichment, including mirrors and visual stimuli such as colour, has been proposed as a way to reduce stress and improve welfare in socially isolated animals. While mirrors have shown promise as social substitutes in some livestock species, little research has explored how coloured environments and mirrors interact to influence welfare and performance in isolated rams.
-
Approach:
Twelve weaned West African Dwarf rams were individually housed across six treatment conditions: no enrichment, mirror only, or mirrors combined with blue, green, red, or yellow coloured walls. The experiment lasted six weeks. Researchers monitored feed intake, body weight, activity, vocalisations, resting, rumination, mirror interactions, and aggressive behaviours using video recordings. Blood samples collected before and after isolation were used to assess haematological and physiological stress responses. Statistical analyses were used to compare behavioural and physiological differences among treatments.
-
Key finding:
Environmental enrichment influenced behavioural and physiological responses more strongly than overall growth performance. Blue- and green-coloured environments combined with mirrors were generally associated with more favourable welfare indicators, including increased feeding, rumination, and activity, alongside reduced signs of distress. In contrast, red and yellow environments were linked to poorer performance, reduced rest, and indicators of stress. Mirrors alone did not consistently reduce stress-related responses and were associated with elevated mortality in some cases. The findings suggest that visual enrichment can help mitigate some effects of social isolation, although effectiveness depends strongly on the type of enrichment used.
-
Industry or policy relevance:
The study highlights the importance of considering behavioural welfare when designing housing systems for small ruminants. It suggests that relatively low-cost visual enrichment strategies could help improve welfare in confined or isolated sheep systems, particularly in situations where social housing is not possible. The findings are relevant to livestock producers, welfare organisations, and policymakers seeking practical approaches to reducing stress and improving animal welfare outcomes in intensive or resource-limited farming systems. More broadly, the study reinforces the need to incorporate behavioural and psychological welfare considerations into livestock management practices.
-
Route for practical application:
The findings suggest that visual enrichment strategies, particularly blue- and green-coloured environments combined with mirrors, could be incorporated into housing designs for isolated or confined rams. Such interventions may be especially useful during temporary isolation periods associated with management, transport, health monitoring, or breeding. Practical implementation would require careful selection of enrichment types, as some treatments appeared to increase stress rather than reduce it. Further optimisation and validation under commercial conditions could support the development of welfare-focused housing guidelines for small ruminants.
-
Confidence in findings and next steps towards realising impact:
This study provides useful preliminary evidence that visual environmental enrichment can influence behavioural and physiological responses in socially isolated rams. Its strengths include the use of both behavioural and haematological measures, continuous video monitoring, and comparison of multiple enrichment treatments within a controlled experimental design. The consistency between several behavioural and physiological indicators strengthens confidence that enrichment type influenced welfare outcomes. However, several limitations should be considered. The study used a very small sample size (12 animals), limiting statistical power and generalisability. Some behavioural differences were not statistically significant, and mortality occurred in two treatments, complicating interpretation. The experiment was also relatively short-term and conducted under controlled conditions, meaning responses may differ in commercial production systems or over longer periods. Additionally, mirrors alone did not consistently reduce stress responses, highlighting the complexity of enrichment effects. Future work should involve larger-scale and longer-term studies to validate these findings across different breeds and production contexts. Research exploring combinations of social, visual, and physical enrichment may help identify more effective strategies for reducing isolation-related stress and improving welfare in sheep systems.
Funders:
Not specified
Links to Open Access Publications or DOI:
Citation:
Adeleye, B., Alabi, O., Oguntunji, A., Oyewumi, S., Okunlola, O., Oyelami, B., Afolabi, C., Oladejo, O., Olagunju, E., & Ayankanmi, I. (2025). Effect of pen enrichment on performance and behavior of isolated West African dwarf rams. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 11(8), 2481–2489.
