ABSTRACT This study was designed to assess the effects of feeding space availability on social behavior and performance of housed crossbreed sheep through the use of three different types of feeders. Thirty-six crossbreed ewes (Santa Inês × Dorper; 2-3 years old) with initial body weight of 34.99±4.28 kg were randomly assigned to a 3 × 3 (feeder type × available space at the feeder) factorial arrangement among nine pens. Pens had one of three feeder types (concrete bunk, plastic, or wood barrel) and one of three amounts of available space in the feeder (0.33, 0.25, or 0.20 m animal−1). Total dry matter intake/pen, dry matter intake per animal, total weight gain/pen, daily weight gain/animal, and food waste were evaluated. Percentage of time spent at feeding and frequency of aggressive behaviors/12 h were recorded. We observed a higher total daily weight gain in ewes with a feeding space of 0.33 and 0.25 m animal−1. The wastes were essentially insignificant for wood feeders in all feeding space treatments. The average number of aggressive behaviors was lower (P<0.05) for animals kept in pens with feeding space of 0.33 m animal−1 than for those maintained in pens with feeding space of 0.20 and 0.25 m animal−1. Ewes with feeding space of 0.33 m animal−1 fed simultaneously 54% of the time, while among pens with feeding spaces of 0.25 or 0.20 m animal−1, this period was reduced to 41 and 30%, respectively. An available feeding space of 0.33 m animal−1 is recommended for adult housed ewes, once it favors simultaneous access, lower competitive interactions at the feeder, and less variation in terms of individual weight gain among ewes.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the seasonal and daily variation in sexual behavior of Morada Nova breeders raised in the Brazilian semi-arid region. The data were collected from four rams and 114 ewes of the Morada Nova breed - 55 females in the dry season and another 59 in the rainy season. Observations were performed in the dry and rainy seasons, divided into four times of the day: morning (05:01 h to 11.00 h), afternoon (11.01 h to 17.00 h), evening (17.01 h to 23:00 h), and dawn (23:01 h to 05.00 h). Sexual behavior was assessed for a period of 24 h/day, in a breeding season. One ram was used each three days. The behavioral patterns of the rams in view of females were observed during the recognition (sniffing the female urine, bouts of anogenital sniffing, and flehmen reaction), preparatory (exposure of tongue and penis, leg-kicking, and low-pitched bleats), and copulatory (number of mounts, number of ejaculations, and refractory period) phases. The rams were more active during daytime. The animals in the rainy season showed more efficient sexual behaviors by the lower frequency of mounts per ejaculation and greater number of ejaculations in a shorter time. In contrast, courting behaviors such as exposure of tongue, number of mounts, low-pitched bleats, and leg-kicking were more frequent in the dry season. In the semi-arid region with latitudes close to 7°N, Morada Nova rams have a higher intensity of precopulatory behaviors and lower frequency of ejaculations in the dry season.