Relationship between welfare and udder health indicators in dairy ewes.

The relationships between welfare and udder health indicators were investigated in 120 midlactation Comisana ewes over a 90-day period. The welfare indicators monitored were the humoral response to chicken egg albumin (OVA), the cell-mediated immune response to phytohemagglutinin, and the plasma cortisol levels. Changes in milk components, in somatic cell count (SCC) and in bacterial count, in leukocyte populations and in anti-OVA IgG concentration were used to monitor the ewe udder health. Correlations between welfare and udder health indicators were then tested. The skinfold thickness, representative of the cell-mediated immune response, was correlated positively with the percentage of neutrophils in milk and negatively with the chloride content, the percentage of lymphocytes and anti-OVA IgG concentrations in milk. The plasma antibody titres to OVA, representative of the humoral immune response, correlated positively with the anti-OVA IgG levels in milk and negatively with the lactose content and to the percentage of neutrophils. Plasma cortisol levels correlated positively with the chloride content in milk. Our study demonstrates that information about the immune condition of animals can be successfully achieved by monitoring the immunological responses of the mammary gland. The detection of reliable indicators of animal welfare in milk can help in reducing the stress from animal handling and blood sampling from lactating animals.