Cattle

Evaluation of visible eye white and maximum eye temperature as non-invasive indicators of stress in dairy cows

The aim of this study was to investigate if visible eye white and eye temperature measurements are feasible non-invasive physiological indicators of acute stress in cows when they are exposed to cattle crush treatment for claw trimming. In the experimental...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Gómez, Y., Bieler, R., Hankele, A. K. 2018. Evaluation of visible eye white and maximum eye temperature as non-invasive indicators of stress in dairy cows. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 198, 1-8.

Dairy cows under experimentally-induced Escherichia coli mastitis show negative emotional states assessed through Qualitative Behaviour Assessment

Mastitis and associated pain have been identified as a major health and welfare problem affecting dairy cows, however little is known about how cows emotionally experience this illness. Qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA) is a ‘whole animal' methodology for assessing animal...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Analgesia, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: de Boyer des Roches, A., Lussert, A., Faure, M. et al. 2018. Dairy cows under experimentally-induced Escherichia coli mastitis show negative emotional states assessed through Qualitative Behaviour Assessment. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 206, 1-11.

Use of a pneumatic push gate to measure dairy cattle motivation to lie down in a deep-bedded area

Persistence of willingness to work has been used to measure the importance of resources and performance of species-specific behaviors. Our objectives were to develop and validate a “push-door” model to assess cattle motivation to lie down in a deep-bedded area....

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Tucker, C. B., Munksgaard, L., Mintline, E. M. et al. 2018. Use of a pneumatic push gate to measure dairy cattle motivation to lie down in a deep-bedded area. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 201, 15-24.

The effects of positive human contact by tactile stimulation on dairy cows with different personalities

The understanding of the ways in which cows with different personalities perceive human contact is essential for improving the quality of the human-animal relationship and therefore the welfare of dairy cows. The general objective of this study was to evaluate...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Shahin, M. 2018. The effects of positive human contact by tactile stimulation on dairy cows with different personalities. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 204, 23-28.

Cows are highly motivated to access a grooming substrate

In natural environments, cattle use trees and other abrasive surfaces to scratch and groom themselves. Modern indoor dairy cattle housing systems often lack appropriate grooming substrates, restricting the animals' ability to groom. We assessed the motivation of dairy cows to...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: McConnachie, E., Smid, A. M. C., Thompson, A. J. et al. 2018. Cows are highly motivated to access a grooming substrate. Biology Letters 14(8), 20180303.

Dairy cows value access to pasture as highly as fresh feed

Many dairy cows in the developed world are now housed exclusively indoors with fewer than 5% of the 10 million lactating cows in the United States having access to pasture during the grazing season. Indoor housing systems are designed to...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Amorim Cestari, A., Franks, B. 2017. Dairy cows value access to pasture as highly as fresh feed. Scientific Reports 7, 44953.

Impact of daily grazing time on dairy cow welfare—results of the Welfare Quality® protocol

Grazing provides livestock better opportunities to act out their species-specific behavior compared to restrictive stable conditions. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of daily grazing time on welfare of dairy cows in organic and conventional...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & Management, Natural BehaviorAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Wagner, K., Brinkmann, J., March, S. et al. 2018. Impact of daily grazing time on dairy cow welfare—results of the Welfare Quality® protocol. Animals 8(1), 1.

Calves use an automated brush and a hanging rope when pair-housed

Calf housing often only meets the basic needs of calves, but there is a growing interest in providing enrichments. This study described the behaviour of calves when they were given the opportunity to interact with two commonly available enrichment items....

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Zobel, G., Neave, H., Henderson, H. et al. 2017. Calves use an automated brush and a hanging rope when pair-housed. Animals 7(11), 84.

Objective measures for the assessment of post-operative pain in Bos indicus bull calves following castration

The aim of the study was to assess pain in Bos indicus bull calves following surgical castration. Forty-two animals were randomised to four groups: no castration (NC, n = 6); castration with pre-operative lidocaine (CL, n = 12); castration with...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Reproduction, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Musk, G., Jacobsen, S., Hyndman, T. et al. 2017. Objective measures for the assessment of post-operative pain in Bos indicus bull calves following castration. Animals 7(10), 76.

Designing better water troughs: Does trough color influence dairy cows’ preference?

Eighteen lactating dairy cows were used to elucidate their preference for green, grey, or red troughs. The herd was managed under a rotational grazing system with ad-libitum access to water until 11:30 h. For 9 days, all cows were tested...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Husbandry & ManagementAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lemos Teixeira, D., Hötzel, M. J., Pinheiro Machado Filho, L. C. et al. 2017. Designing better water troughs: Does trough color influence dairy cows' preference? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 20(2), 192-197.