Effect of housing systems on health of weaner nellore brown lambs

An experiment was conducted to assess the effect of housing systems on the health of weaner Nellore Brown lambs. Twenty Nellore Brown lambs of either sex were selected and randomly allotted into two groups viz., T-1: slatted floor and T-2: murram floor. Lambs were maintained under similar management for 90 days except for housing systems. The overall mean hair coat cleanliness and faecal soiling scores were significantly (P<0.05) lower in T-1 (1.10±0.54 and 1.28±0.11) than in T-2 (1.35±0.81 and 1.77±0.61). The overall mean hoof lesions and lameness scores were (P<0.05) lower in T-1 (20% and 0.10±0.03) than in T-2 (60% and 0.32±0.07). The faecal egg counts were significantly lower (P<0.05) in T-1 (155±68.9 eggs/g) than in T-2 (325±68.9 eggs/g). The study revealed that the lambs raised on the slatted floor had better health performance compared to those on murram floor.