Abstract
BALACH1 noted that under normal management adult sheep and cattle sleep little if at all. He suggested that this behaviour pattern may be related to the need for maintaining the thorax in an upright position for proper functioning of the reticulo-rumen, and to the requirement of time and consciousness for rumination. He defined sleep as a marked relaxation of consciousness and especially of vision and hearing ability. The following observations on the behaviour of ewes would seem to support the suggestion that the typical sleepless behaviour pattern is connected with the requirements for rumination.
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References
Balch, C. C., Nature, 175, 940 (1955).
Huckebusch, Y., and Marquet, J. P., Rev. Méd. Vét., Toulouse, 114, 833 (1963).
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MORAG, M. Influence of Diet on the Behaviour Pattern of Sheep. Nature 213, 110 (1967). https://doi.org/10.1038/213110a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/213110a0
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