Influence of Farmer–Sheep Interactions in the Home Flock on Behaviour and Cortisol in a Communal Grazing Flock of Polish Mountain Sheep

Despite growing interest in human–animal interactions in livestock, limited information is available on whether differences in routine human contact in the home flock have lasting effects on sheep behaviour and physiological stress responses after transfer to a new herd. This study evaluated behavioural and cortisol related responses in 191 Polish Mountain sheep from five farms that were seasonally combined into one traditional Carpathian grazing flock. Before grazing, farms were classified according to selected characteristics of farmer contact with sheep, including, time spent with the flock, handling style, consistency of interaction, and farmer behaviour towards the animals. Sheep behavioural responses during milking were assessed by the shepherd and an independent observer using a five point scale in two observation periods and serum cortisol concentration was measured in ten sheep per farm. Behavioural scores were analysed using a cumulative link mixed model, with evaluator and season as fixed effects and farm and sheep identity nested within the farm as random effects. Descriptive mean behavioural scores ranged from 2.18 to 4.38, and mean cortisol concentrations ranged from 2.49 to 4.86. Farm level patterns suggested that sheep from farms with more favourable human contact tended to show calmer behaviour during milking and lower cortisol concentrations. These findings indicate that routine human contact in the home flock may be associated with later behavioural and physiological responses under communal grazing conditions.