Cattle

Effects of level of social contact on dairy calf behavior and health

Housing preweaned dairy calves in pairs rather than individually has been found to positively affect behavioral responses in novel social and environmental situations, but concerns have been raised that close contact among very young animals may impair their health. In...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Jensen, M. B., Larsen, L. B. 2014. Effects of level of social contact on dairy calf behavior and health. Journal of Dairy Science 97(8), 5035-5044.

Alone or together: A risk assessment approach to group housing

The question of whether it is better to house animals in groups rather than alone deals with the unresolved issues at the heart of animal welfare. In particular, we need to be able to rank different classes of threats to...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Social Housing & Companionship, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: All/General, Cattle

Citation: Rushen, J., de Passillé, A. M., Appleby, M. C. et al. 2014. Alone or together: A risk assessment approach to group housing. In: Dilemmas in Animal Welfare. Appleby, M. C., Weary, D. M., Sandøe, P. (eds), 169-187. CAB International, Oxfordshire, UK.

Can ear postures reliably measure the positive emotional state of cows?

Animal welfare science is increasingly concerned with the promotion of positive emotions in animals, yet little is known about how to measure them. We examined whether ear postures in dairy cows were reliable indicators of a low arousal, positive emotional...

Year Published: 2014Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Proctor, H. S., Carder, G. 2014. Can ear postures reliably measure the positive emotional state of cows? Applied Animal Behaviour Science 161, 20-27.

Effects of degree and timing of social housing on reversal learning and response to novel objects in dairy calves

Rodents and primates deprived of early social contact exhibit deficits in learning and behavioural flexibility. They often also exhibit apparent signs of elevated anxiety, although the relationship between these effects has not been studied. To investigate whether dairy calves are...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Meagher, R. K., Daros, R. R., Costa, J.H. et al. 2015. Effects of degree and timing of social housing on reversal learning and response to novel objects in dairy calves. PLOS ONE 10(8), e0132828.

Laboratory animal behavior

The study of laboratory animal behavior has increased steadily over the last decade, with expanding emphasis on a variety of commonly used species. In the United States, this trend was initially focused on species for which there was a regulatory...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Abnormal/Problematic Behavior, Environmental Enrichment, Housing, Human-Animal Interaction, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Baboon, Bird, Capuchin, Cat, Cattle, Chicken, Chimpanzee, Dog, Fowl, Gerbil, Goat, Guinea Pig, Hamster, Lemur, Macaque, Marmoset, Mink, Mouse, Other Nonhuman Primate, Owl Monkey, Rabbit, Rat, Rodent, Sheep, Squirrel Monkey, Vervet (African Green Monkey)

Citation: Bayne, K. A., Beaver, B. V., Mench, J. A. et al. 2015. Laboratory animal behavior. In: Laboratory Animal Medicine, 3rd edition. Fox, J. G., Anderson, L., Otto, G., et al. (eds). Elsevier, Inc., Amsterdam, NL. pp. 1617-1651.

The influence of gentle interactions on avoidance distance towards humans, weight gain and physiological parameters in group-housed dairy calves

The quality of the relationship between cattle and their caretakers is important for animal welfare and productivity. Nevertheless, the influence of gentle interactions on group-housed dairy calves has not been thoroughly studied so far. We examined the effects of 42...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Human-Animal InteractionAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Lurzel, S., Munsch, C., Windschnurer. I. et al. 2015. The influence of gentle interactions on avoidance distance towards humans, weight gain and physiological parameters in group-housed dairy calves. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 172, 9-16.

Pain evaluation in dairy cattle

Pain compromises the welfare of animals. A prerequisite for being able to alleviate pain is that we are able to recognize it. Potential behavioural signs of pain were investigated for dairy cattle with the aim of constructing a pain scale...

Year Published: 2015Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Cattle

Citation: Gleerup, K. B., Andersen, P. H., Munksgaard, L. et al. 2015. Pain evaluation in dairy cattle. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 171,25-32.