Context-Dependent Effects of Maternal Behaviour on Lamb Growth in Tibetan Sheep

Consistent behavioural differences among individuals have been documented across many animal taxa, yet their developmental consequences remain less clear in domestic production systems. This gap is especially relevant in managed environments, where food availability and ecological constraints differ markedly from those in the wild. In this study, we assessed behavioural traits in 25 Tibetan sheep (Ovis aries) ewes and examined their associations with early growth in their lambs under semi-captive conditions on the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. We quantified docility, exploration, vocal responses, and several physiological measures of responsiveness in ewes, and related these variables to lamb birth weight, early weight gain, and a composite growth index. We found that maternal docility had no significant effect on lamb birth weight, whereas maternal activity was negatively associated with offspring birth weight. One possible interpretation is that more behaviourally responsive ewes allocate energy differently during gestation, which could limit fetal growth, although this mechanism was not directly tested here. These results suggest that behavioural effects on offspring development depend strongly on production context. In this semi-captive system, greater maternal responsiveness was not associated with improved offspring performance, unlike patterns often discussed for wild populations. This context dependence may be relevant when behavioural traits are considered in Tibetan sheep management or breeding.