The aim of this study was to find a simple measure for calf temperament discrimination, which can be useful as a selection criterion for on-farm French beef cattle breeding schemes. Behavioral ...records were registered at an average age of 5 and 7 mo, respectively, for 1,282 and 1,440 Limousin calves born in 24 French farms between August 2007 and April 2008. Measures were repeated for 810 calves at the 2 ages. The test procedure consisted of individually restraining the calves in a chute, then exposing them to a stationary human situated in front of the chute for 10 s. For every calf and each period of the test, the number of rush movements and the total number of movements were scored by visual appraisal using a continuous scale ranging from 0 (no movements) to 60 (continuous movements). Initial scores were also transformed to categorical scores and analyzed. Genetic correlation across ages were very high for all the traits (above 0.84 ± 0.20) suggesting that these traits are governed by the same pool of genes at the 2 ages. The corresponding phenotypic correlations were about 0.3 for all the measures. Heritabilities were moderate for all measures (from 0.11 to 0.31) with the total number of movements during weighing measured at 7 mo being the greatest. All the measures were highly correlated (from 0.73 ± 0.26 to 0.99 ± 0.02). Genetic correlation across sexes was not statistically different from 1. However, traits measured during weighing showed different genetic variance estimates for females and males. Similar results were obtained for the transformed categorical scores. According to these results, the total number of movements during weighing seems to be the most promising trait for on-farm genetic evaluation of French beef cattle temperament. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
It has been demonstrated previously that regularly stroking and letting calves suck fingers leads to less avoidance and more approach behavior of the calves toward people. To examine whether these ...positive contacts affect the welfare and productivity of calves and the quality of veal meat we used 22 veal calves housed in individual crates. Half of them received minimal contact with the stockperson (controls), and the other half were given additional gentle contacts around meals, by stroking the calves and allowing them to suck the stockperson's fingers, during the entire fattening period (21 wk). Welfare was assessed through behavioral reactivity (reactions to handling, to surprise stimuli, and to novelty), neuroendocrine responses to stress (cortisol in response to an ACTH challenge, catecholamine-synthesizing enzymes), and health (number of medical treatments, abomasal lesions). Calf productivity was assessed through growth rates and meat quality through glycolytic potential (an estimator of resting glycogen level in muscle), pH, and color. Calves that received gentle contacts were less agitated (P < .01) and tended to defecate less (P = .08) when handled in a cart on wheels than the control calves, but no treatment effects were found in reactivity to novelty and surprise stimuli, responses to ACTH, and catecholamine synthetic potential. Calves given gentle contacts had fewer abomasal lesions than controls (0/11 vs 4/11, P = .05). The glycolytic potential of the semimembranosus muscle was higher in calves that received gentle contacts than in controls (172.6 vs 154.1 micromol/g, P < .05), but no treatment effects were observed on meat pH, meat color, or growth rates. It is concluded that gentling veal calves reduces their reactions to handling. Gentle contacts reduce the reaction to transport shown by differences in glycolytic potential. In addition, the reduction in reactions to handling and the decreased incidence of abomasal lesions can contribute to an improvement of the calves' welfare.
Artificially reared herbivores are highly dependent on the stockperson at an early age in order to learn to drink from an artificial milk provider. This period of training may be a determinant for ...the animals' subsequent responses toward humans. However, long-term responses may also depend on the human contact (e.g., visual, physical interactions, gentling, and handling) provided to the young lambs after this training period. We examined whether different levels of subsequent contact (no visual and physical contact, stroking, and feeding reward) affect long-term attachment responses of lambs to the caretaker that provided the subsequent contact, after a common initial training period for artificial feeding provided by another person. Ewe lambs (n = 45) were artificially reared from multinippled buckets in groups of three. All the lambs were trained by a stockperson (S1) to suck from the bucket (4.4 +/- .3 sessions of 3 min per animal for the first 2 d of life). Subsequently, 15 lambs received no further human contact (T0). Fifteen other lambs received only stroking from a second stockperson (S2) for 6 min three times a day during the first 4 wk (T1). The remaining 15 lambs (T2) were stroked and bottle-fed by S2 during the same posttraining period as for T1. Tests were performed at 4, 6 (just before weaning), 9, and 13 wk of age in an unfamiliar arena marked in a grid pattern. The test procedure included three successive parts: 1) isolation for 1 min; 2) S2 presence for 2 min; and 3) isolation for 1 min. The T0 lambs spent a similar amount of time in the grid square close to S2 regardless of whether he was present. The T1 and T2 lambs spent more time close to S2 than T0 (P < .01), and T2 spent more time close than T1 (P < .05). In the presence of S2, T2 vocalized less (P < .01) than T0, and T1 did not differ from either T2 or T0. The T2 lambs also crossed fewer squares than T0. When S2 left the arena, T2 vocalized more (P < .01) than T0 and more (P < .05) than T1, and T1 had a tendency to vocalize more (P = .08) than T0. Differences persisted with increasing age. Human contact, especially stroking and feeding, during the 4 wk following initial training strongly and durably influenced the lambs' response not only to the appearance but also to the disappearance of a familiar stockperson. This last result supports the idea that lambs could form a social bond with their stockperson.
We studied the importance of the stockperson's behavior on veal calf behavior using 22 veal calves housed in individual crates. Eleven calves received minimal contact from the stockperson, and the ...other 11 calves were stroked and allowed to suck the stockperson's fingers after each meal during the entire fattening period (21 wk). The effects of this additional contact with the stockperson on the calves' responses to people was studied, when in their home environment (crate) or outside their home environment (singly in a novel arena). When tested in their home environment, the calves receiving additional contact withdrew less from the approach of humans (familiar or unfamiliar) (P < .05) compared with control calves. When tested outside the home environment with a human (familiar or unfamiliar) standing motionless, calves that had received additional contact interacted more frequently and for a longer time with the humans and defecated less often compared with control calves (P < .05). In conclusion, being stroked and sucking the stockperson's fingers seemed to be experienced as positive by the calf, because they reduced withdrawal from and increased approaches to familiar and unfamiliar humans in familiar and unfamiliar environments. Such a lower reactivity to people could improve ease of handling, animal performance, and animal welfare.
The effects of handling at different times after birth on the subsequent response to humans was investigated using 40 Danish Friesian calves removed from their dams immediately after birth. ...Treatments were feeding and handling during days 1–4 after birth (H1–4), during days 6–9 (H6–9), or during days 11–14 (H11–14), and no handling (C: control). The handling treatment was carried out three times daily for 4 days and consisted of 6
min of hand-feeding with milk from a teat-bucket and patting, stroking and talking to the calf. All calves were housed in single pens. Human contact was minimised except during the treatment periods.
The approach behaviour of each calf to an unknown person was tested at days 20, 40 and 55 in their home pen. The test at day 55 was carried out in a large single pen where the calves had been housed for 24
h prior to the test. Latency to interact with the person was shorter in all three tests for calves in H1–4 compared to C. There was no significant difference between H11–14 and C. Group H6–9 differed only from the control group at day 20. Treatment also affected the position and the orientation of the calf in the pen during the tests. Calves in H1–4 stood at the front of the pen and faced the person more often than calves in C. There was no difference between H11–14 and the C. All the three handled treatments had a shorter flight distance at day 55 compared to the control group. The results indicate that handling and hand-feeding, especially during the first 4 days after birth, increases the motivation of young calves to approach a human compared with calves that receive minimal human contact.
The present paper focuses on six main issues. First, we briefly explain why an increased understanding of the human–animal relationship (HAR) is an essential component of any strategy intended to ...improve the welfare of farmed animals and their stockpersons. Second, we list the main internal and external factors that can influence the nature of the relationship and the interactions between human beings and farm animals. Third, we argue that the numerous tests that have been used to assess the HAR fall into three main categories (stationary human, moving human, handling/restraint), according to the degree of human involvement. Fourth, the requirements that any test of HAR must fulfil before it can be considered effective, and the ways in which the tests can be validated are discussed. Fifth, the various types of test procedures that have been used to assess the HAR in a range of farmed species are reviewed and critically discussed. Finally, some research perspectives that merit further attention are shown.
The present review embraces a range of farmed animals. Our primary reasons for including a particular species were: whether or not general interest has been expressed in its welfare and its relationship with humans, whether relevant literature was available, and whether it is farmed in at least some European countries. Therefore, we include large and small ruminants (cattle, sheep, goats), pigs, poultry (chickens), fur animals (foxes, mink) and horses. Although horses are primarily used for sport, leisure or therapy they are farmed as draught, food or breeding animals in many countries. Literature on the HAR in other species was relatively scarce so they receive no further mention here.
This study investigated the influence of stockperson’s behaviour and housing conditions on calves’ behavioural reactions to people, and behavioural and physiological reactions to handling and short ...transport. Sixty-four Finnish Ayrshire male calves were used; half of them were housed in individual pens, the other half were housed in group pens of two calves. In both housing conditions half of the calves received minimal contact from the stockperson, while the other half were stroked on their necks and shoulders for 90
s a day, after milk meals. The effects of housing and contact with the stockperson on the responses of calves to people, either entering or approaching the pen, were studied. Furthermore, calves’ behavioural and physiological (cortisol, heart rate) reactions to being loaded onto a truck, transported for 30
min and unloaded were observed. When a person entered the home pen, calves housed by pairs took significantly more time to interact and interacted less frequently with the person than individually housed calves did (
p<0.01). Calves that received additional contact interacted for longer time with the unfamiliar person than calves with minimal contact (
p=0.02). When a person approached the front of the calves’ pens, less withdrawal responses were shown by calves that had received additional contact (
p<0.05) than those that had received minimal contact. When the calves were loaded onto the truck, it took more time and effort to load pair housed calves than individually housed calves (
p<0.01) and less effort to load calves that had received additional contact (
p<0.01) compared to those that had received minimal contact. During loading additional contact calves had lower heart rates (
p<0.05) than those that had received minimal contact, while during transport pair housed calves had lower heart rates compared to individually housed ones (
p<0.05). For all the observations performed, no interactions were found between housing conditions and human contact.
It is concluded that, compared to calves housed individually, calves housed in pairs are less ready to approach humans and less easy to handle. Providing calves with regular positive contacts makes them less fearful of people and improves handling. Due to the greater difficulty in handling calves housed in groups, it is concluded that these animals need to have regular contact with humans.
With increasing herd sizes and decreasing workforce availability, precision livestock farming (PLF) is being developed in the dairy sector to facilitate herd monitoring. A desire to reduce the ...drudgery of repetitive tasks is another factor contributing to the adoption of PLF. This study, based on a review of the scientific literature, focuses on the impact of PLF on the profession and work organization of dairy farmers. Time savings are observed because robots and sensors take on recurrent physical tasks (milking, feeding) while simplifying the monitoring of animals (heat, health problems, etc.). Farmers appreciate the additional flexibility in organizing their work. The information provided can reduce the mental workload due to the anticipation of events (insemination, health problems). However, the mental workload can sometimes be increased due to the complexity of the information involved in managing the multiple alarms or alerts and equipment failures. The relationship between farmers and their animals is also modified. Precision livestock farming can have a positive impact on dairy farmers' work and can be attractive for young people. However, if the tools are not adapted to farmers' needs and skills, PLF can also lead to negative impacts on farmers and animals. It is therefore critical to consider the different dimensions of farmers' work to facilitate their adoption of these new technologies.
Petting and brushing, when used in experiments with animals, is often described as a positive contact or `gentling'; this classification is based on human perception, and fails to consider the ...animal's perception of such contacts. This experiment investigated suckling calves' perception of such contacts with humans by measuring their behaviour towards a familiar stockperson. A total of 41 beef calves were reared with twice daily sucklings under human control. At 1.5 months, they were allocated to one of three treatments. For 5 min a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks they were socially isolated (treatment IS,
n=13), or with a stationary stockman who brushed the calf when it approached (treatment PR,
n=14) or with a stockman approaching and brushing the calf (treatment BR,
n=14). All of the BR calves accepted brushing easily within 5 days of treatment. All of the PR calves briefly interacted with the stockman within 3 days, but by the end of the treatment, none were interacting with the stockman. Two tests were performed on 2 consecutive days after the end of the treatments and 1 month later, in the familiar environment of the treatment procedures. The test procedure included social isolation (1 min), isolation with the stationary stockman (1.5 min) and isolation with the stockman trying to stroke the calf (1.5 min). Few animals approached within 2 m of the stockman during the tests and BR calves tended to stay more than 4 m away from him (
P=0.1). Just after the treatment period, BR animals allowed more stroking by the stockman (
P<0.01) on the 2 days of tests and were more motionless (
P<0.01) on the first day of testing than animals from the two other treatments. On the second day of testing, both BR and PR calves were more motionless (
P<0.01) than IS animals. However, all the animals appeared more tolerant 1 month later and no significant difference was found at this age. Acceptance of contact such as brushing or stroking appears to be more the result of a habituation process than one of positive reinforcement.
PDF
