Poudel, SanjokFike, John H.Pent, Gabriel J.2022-07-082022-07-082022-06-29Poudel, S.; Fike, J.H.; Pent, G.J. Hair Cortisol as a Measure of Chronic Stress in Ewes Grazing Either Hardwood Silvopastures or Open Pastures. Agronomy 2022, 12, 1566.http://hdl.handle.net/10919/111169Hair cortisol is a relatively non-invasive and reliable measure of chronic stress, but it has received limited use, especially in pasture systems. A two-year study was carried out to compare behavioral and physiological (intravaginal temperature, hair, and blood cortisol) responses of ewes (<i>Ovis aries</i>) that grazed black walnut (<i>Juglans nigra</i>) silvopasture (BSP), honeylocust (<i>Gleditsia triacanthos</i>) silvopasture (HSP), or open pastures (OP) treatments. Ewe weights and intravaginal temperatures were recorded once for every 4-week interval. Plasma and hair cortisol concentrations were determined by ELISA. Trail cameras detected animal behavior. Ewe average daily gain was greater in HSP compared with OP <i>(p =</i> 0.0456) but did not differ with BSP <i>(p</i> = 0.4686) across both years. Ewes on OP had higher <i>(p</i> < 0.0001) hair cortisol concentrations than ewes on silvopasture treatments both summers. Ewes on OP had ≥ 0.4 °C higher <i>(p</i> ≤ 0.03) intravaginal temperatures during portions of the afternoon than ewes managed in silvopasture treatments. Ewes on OP spent 500–700% more <i>(p</i> < 0.0001) time standing and 125–150% less <i>(p</i> < 0.0001) time lying down compared with ewes on silvopasture treatments. Hair cortisol measures could be an effective and relatively non-invasive technique for determining long-term chronic stress in grazing animals.application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 Internationalhoneylocustblack walnutagroforestrycortisolheat stressHair Cortisol as a Measure of Chronic Stress in Ewes Grazing Either Hardwood Silvopastures or Open PasturesArticle - Refereed2022-07-08Agronomyhttps://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12071566