The dynamics of animal growth have been widely studied in domestic species, primarily in relation to their productive potential, but have not been equally investigated in wild species, especially regarding the early weeks of life. The aim of this work was to examine some aspects of the morphometric growth in farmed Fallow deer (Dama dama) fawns, from birth to the age of six months. Three male and three female fawns were artificially fed ad libitum with acidified dried milk for lambs and, since the 8th week of life, also with weaning pellets and alfalfa hay. Body weight and several linear measurements were recorded weekly. The ratio trunk length/chest circumference (TC) was calculated. All data were analysed separately for the sexes using Linear Regression, with age as continuous variable. After logarithmic transformation of the data, the growth of measurements in relation to body weight and height at withers was investigated using the allometric function. Male fawns displayed a more rapid increase of live weight: males and female attained 36 kg and 32 kg at six months of age respectively. Stature increased by 60%, from on average 43 cm at birth to nearly 70 cm at six months of life. Similar growth patterns for both sexes were observed in height at withers and at rump, chest length and circumference, rump length, shoulder and hip width. Rump resulted higher than withers, while shoulders and hip width had a comparable accretion; all these measures doubled their dimension in the six-months period. Differences between sexes resulted for head length, greater in males, and chest depth, greater in females; trunk length, similar among sexes at the age of six months, showed a different trend, linear in females and quadratic in males. TC ratio increased until the 3 rd month of age and then reduced, expressing the preliminary elongation of the trunk followed by the development of the transverse diameters. The allometric analysis confirmed the precocity of the head accretion and of the body heights respect to trunk elongation and its development in transverse diameters. In females emerged a precocity in the rachis elongation and a belated development of transverse diameters, especially in pelvic bones. In this early phase of life, the most rapid growth processes involve the elongation and the volumetric development of the trunk, similarly to physiologically related domestic species (eg. lambs).
Growth and morphometry of farmed fallow deer (Dama dama L., 1758) from birth to six months of age / Becciolini, Valentina; Bozzi, Riccardo; Ponzetta, Maria Paola. - In: ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE. - ISSN 1828-051X. - ELETTRONICO. - 16:(2017), pp. 132-133. (Intervento presentato al convegno ASPA 22nd Congress tenutosi a Perugia, Italy nel June, 13-16 2017) [10.1080/1828051X.2017.1330232].
Growth and morphometry of farmed fallow deer (Dama dama L., 1758) from birth to six months of age.
BECCIOLINI, VALENTINA;BOZZI, RICCARDO;PONZETTA, MARIA
2017
Abstract
The dynamics of animal growth have been widely studied in domestic species, primarily in relation to their productive potential, but have not been equally investigated in wild species, especially regarding the early weeks of life. The aim of this work was to examine some aspects of the morphometric growth in farmed Fallow deer (Dama dama) fawns, from birth to the age of six months. Three male and three female fawns were artificially fed ad libitum with acidified dried milk for lambs and, since the 8th week of life, also with weaning pellets and alfalfa hay. Body weight and several linear measurements were recorded weekly. The ratio trunk length/chest circumference (TC) was calculated. All data were analysed separately for the sexes using Linear Regression, with age as continuous variable. After logarithmic transformation of the data, the growth of measurements in relation to body weight and height at withers was investigated using the allometric function. Male fawns displayed a more rapid increase of live weight: males and female attained 36 kg and 32 kg at six months of age respectively. Stature increased by 60%, from on average 43 cm at birth to nearly 70 cm at six months of life. Similar growth patterns for both sexes were observed in height at withers and at rump, chest length and circumference, rump length, shoulder and hip width. Rump resulted higher than withers, while shoulders and hip width had a comparable accretion; all these measures doubled their dimension in the six-months period. Differences between sexes resulted for head length, greater in males, and chest depth, greater in females; trunk length, similar among sexes at the age of six months, showed a different trend, linear in females and quadratic in males. TC ratio increased until the 3 rd month of age and then reduced, expressing the preliminary elongation of the trunk followed by the development of the transverse diameters. The allometric analysis confirmed the precocity of the head accretion and of the body heights respect to trunk elongation and its development in transverse diameters. In females emerged a precocity in the rachis elongation and a belated development of transverse diameters, especially in pelvic bones. In this early phase of life, the most rapid growth processes involve the elongation and the volumetric development of the trunk, similarly to physiologically related domestic species (eg. lambs).File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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