Cattle

Does dairy calves’ motivation for social play behaviour build up over time?

Dairy calves are often housed in individual pens, which limits play behaviour. This study investigates whether the motivation for social play builds up during periods of deprivation hereof. Sixteen mixed-sex pairs of calves (33 ± 3 days of age) were...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Bertelsen, M., Jensen, M. B. 2019. Does dairy calves' motivation for social play behaviour build up over time? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 214, 18-24.

What stockperson behavior during weighing reveals about the relationship between humans and suckling beef cattle: A preliminary study

The human-animal relationship is a key component of human and farm-animal welfare. Farm surveys, particularly for pig, dairy cattle and veal calf production, which include regular human contact, showed that animals may face aversive handling during daily work routines, which...

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

Citation: Destrez, A., Haslin, E., Boivin, X. 2018. What stockperson behavior during weighing reveals about the relationship between humans and suckling beef cattle: A preliminary study. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 209, 8-13.

Grooming device effects on behaviour and welfare of Japanese black fattening cattle

In livestock farming, a stark or barren environment compromises animal welfare. Environmental enrichment has been used to address the issue. For this study, after fattening cattle were provided with a grooming device (a brush), its effect on animal self-grooming and...

Year Published: 2019Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Ninomiya, S. 2019. Grooming device effects on behaviour and welfare of Japanese black fattening cattle. Animals 9(4), 186.

Lying postures of dairy cows in cubicles and on pasture

Cows housed indoors with cubicles are probably more restricted in their choice of lying posture and orientation compared with cows housed on pasture. We therefore compared lying postures on pasture in Uruguay and the Netherlands with lying postures in cubicles...

Year Published: 2019Topics: HousingAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: van Erp-van der Kooij, E., Almalik, O., Cavestany, D. et al. 2019. Lying postures of dairy cows in cubicles and on pasture. Animals 9(4), 183.

Effect of concrete slats, three mat types and out-wintering pads on performance and welfare of finishing beef steers

The objective was to investigate the effect of placing mats on concrete slatted floors on performance, behaviour, hoof condition, dirt scores, physiological and immunological variables of beef steers, and to compare responses with animals on out-wintering pads. Continental crossbred beef...

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

Citation: Earley, B., McNamara, J. D., Jerrams, S. J. et al. 2017. Effect of concrete slats, three mat types and out-wintering pads on performance and welfare of finishing beef steers. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 59(1), 34.

Looking into the eyes of a cow: Can eye whites be used as a measure of emotional state? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 1-6

A number of studies have looked at whether the percentage of visible eye whites could be a reliable and dynamic tool for measuring emotional state in cattle. In this study we have built upon previous research to further test this...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lambert (Proctor), H. S., Carder, G. 2017. Looking into the eyes of a cow: Can eye whites be used as a measure of emotional state? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 186, 1-6.

Contact with cows during the young age increases social competence and lowers the cardiac stress reaction in dairy calves

Separating calf and cow within 24h after birth is common practice in dairy farms. Some dairy farmers, however, practice a rearing system in which the calves are nursed by their dam or by foster cows. We investigated if dairy calves...

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

Citation: Buchli, C., Raselli, A., Bruckmaier, R. et al. 2017. Contact with cows during the young age increases social competence and lowers the cardiac stress reaction in dairy calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 187, 1-7.

The effect of feeding enrichment in the milk-feeding stage on the cognition of dairy calves in a T-maze

In many species, environmental complexity is known to affect cognitive development, yet it is common to house dairy calves individually in restrictive environments. The hypothesis of this study was that providing calves with simple nutritional enrichments would improve their success...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Environmental EnrichmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Horvath, K., Fernandez, M., Miller-Cushon, E. K. 2017. The effect of feeding enrichment in the milk-feeding stage on the cognition of dairy calves in a T-maze. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 187, 8-14.

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.