Physiological and behavioral responses of feedlot sheep with and without access to artificial shade

Artificial shading is widely used to provide thermal comfort to animals and has been extensively researched due to its relationship with their welfare and performance. This study examines the physiological and behavioral traits of sheep in a feedlot system with and without access to shade. Twenty male Santa Inês × Dorper crossbred sheep with an initial average weight of 25 kg were used in the experiment. The animals were kept in two collective stalls, one of which was equipped with a polypropylene mesh shade net with 80% light interception capacity. The experiment was conducted in the feedlot of the Fazenda Escola farm at UEG, São Luís de Montes Belos Campus, state of Goiás, Brazil. Environmental indices (ambient temperature, relative humidity, temperature-humidity index), respiratory rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT) and surface temperature (ST) were measured once weekly and behavioral assessments were performed one day after the physiological assessment, between 07h00 and 19h00. The following behaviors were evaluated: feeding, rumination, rest/sleep, social, play and anomalous activities. There were no significant differences for the analyzed variables and treatments. Animals with access to shade had the following physiological results: RR - 75.06 mov. min-1; ST - 33.03 ºC; and RT - 39.21 ºC. Those without access to shade, in turn, showed the following indices: RR - 81.52 mov. min-1; ST - 33.45 ºC; and RT - 39.43 ºC. The evaluated behaviors did not differ significantly, averaging 226.11 and 225.44 min (feeding), 153.33 and 149.44 min (rumination), 341.39 and 339.72 min (rest/sleep) and 152.50 and 154.72 min (other activities) recorded in the sheep with and without access to shade, respectively. Despite the lack of differences between the analyzed responses, the animals with access to artificial shade showed greater comfort, welfare and quality of life.