Animals and management

Eight healthy adult female Massese sheep (mean age 8.6 ± 1.5 years and weight 40.8 ± 2.1 kg) were recruited from the Centro di Ricerche Agro-Ambientali “E. Avanzi,” of the University of Pisa. Massese sheep present an open or semi-open fleece, with conical tufts with rather smooth short wool (50–75 mm), lead-gray in color, and with a lighter-colored apical part in females which is almost black in the males. During the day, the animals were housed in a grazing area (0.5 ha), and at night, they were kept in a separate barn. Sheep in both places had unlimited access to hay and clean water. Only non-lactating and non-pregnant sheep were included in the study. Furthermore, sheep had to be healthy at the time of the study based on their history and on physical and clinical examination (35). Sheep were excluded from the study if they were affected by cardiovascular or other diseases during the experimental period.