Animal husbandry and working conditions for livestock farmers have changed significantly in recent years as agriculture has been exposed to economic as well as health, environmental and ethical ...challenges. The idea of interdependent welfare between humans and animals is more relevant now than ever. Here, we innovatively bridge two disciplines—ergonomics and applied ethology—to achieve an in-depth observational understanding of real husbandry practice (by farmers, inseminators, vets) at work. Ergonomics aims to gain a detailed understanding of human activity in its physical, sensitive and cognitive dimensions in relation to a task. It also aims to transform work situations through a systemic approach drawing on multiple levers for change. Here, we examine how this analysis holds up to the inclusion of animals as an integral component of the livestock farmer’s work situation. Applied ethology studies behaviours in animals managed by humans. It aims to understand how these animals perceive their environment, including how they construct their relationship with the livestock farmer. This paper proposes an original conception of the human–animal relationship in animal husbandry that employs core structural concepts from both disciplines. From an ergonomic point of view, we address the human–animal relations by examining the relationship between ‘prescribed’ and real work practices, between work and personal life situation, between professional task and human activity. On the applied ethology side of the equation, the human–animal relationship is a process built through communication and regular interactions between two ‘partners’ who know each other. The goal is to understand how each partner perceives the other according to their multimodal sensory world and their cognitive and emotional capacities, and to predict the outcome of future interactions. We cross-analyse these scientific views to show, based on examples, how and in what way they can intersect to bring better analysis of these human–animal relationships. We reflect on common working hypotheses and situated observational approaches based on indicators (behaviour and animal and human welfare/health). This analysis prompts us to clarify what human–animal relational practice means in animal husbandry work, i.e. a strategy employed by the livestock farmer to work safely and efficiently in a healthy environment, where the animal is treated as a partner in the relationship. In this perspective, the challenge is for the livestock farmer’s activity to co-build a positive relationship and avoid being subject to this one.
In beef cattle, reactivity to humans or handling by humans is considered a safety issue for farmers and to impact on productivity. Several testing procedures, associated with potential risks for both ...humans and animals, have been developed, involving simple human approach, free animals individually handled, or restraint in handling facilities. We investigated how such tests may be related to each other and which dimensions they reveal. Of particular interest is the tolerance towards human approach or handling involving human or chute restraint, and whether they could be linked to the daily activity of animals and their growth, potentially enabling this activity to be used as a proxy for evaluating this reactivity to humans and handing. We observed 498 Limousin breeding bulls, of up to 14 months of age, at a bull testing station during standardised behavioural tests involving humans and handling: human approach at the feed barrier or out of the home pen during individual morphological evaluation, docility test where the experimenter attempts to maintain the bull in the corner of a test pen, and during restraint in a chute for weighing. Routinely collected on farm at approximately 8 months of age, bulls' reaction scores to human approach were also available. The animals wore MEDRIA collars with 3D-accelerometers that continually monitored their daily activities (ingestion, rumination, rest, etc.). Three 2-week periods spanning 4 months were analysed. We conducted a varimax-rotated principal component analysis (PCA) on behavioural tests: the first component (23.63% of the variability) summarised scores during restraint in the chute, and the second component (19.36% of the variability) summarised avoidance distance score at the feed barrier, score during morphological evaluation, and docility score. The daily activity of the bulls was consistent across the three 2-week periods that were analysed and was not related to the PCA dimensions (P > 0.1). Animals that could be approached at a closer distance reached a heavier weight at the age of 400 days (P < 0.001). In conclusion, within the limits of the test used, breeding bulls' reactivity to humans or handling comprised at least two dimensions: reactivity to human approach and reactivity to restraint (in the chute); which cannot be predicted from the animal's daily activity. A bull's acceptance of being approached by humans was positively related to its growth. (c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of The Animal Consortium. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
The common practice of artificially rearing lambs from prolific meat breeds of sheep constitutes a welfare issue due to increased mortality rates and negative health issues. In this multidisciplinary ...study, we investigated the possible short- and mid-term advantages of artificially feeding fresh ewe's milk instead of commercial milk replacer on lambs' growth, health and welfare. Romane lambs were either separated from their mothers on D3 and fed with Lacaune ewes' milk (LAC, n = 13) or milk replacer (REP, n = 15), or they were reared by their mothers (MOT, n = 15). On D45, they were weaned, gathered in single-sex groups until the end of the study on D150. Lamb performance and biomarkers of overall health were assessed by measuring: growth, dirtiness of the perianal area, enteric pathogens in the faeces, total antioxidant status and redox status assessed by plasma reduced glutathione/oxidised glutathione ratio, and immune response after vaccination against chlamydiosis. As an exploratory approach, blood cell transcriptomic profiles were also investigated. Last, qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA) was performed as an integrated welfare criterion. Lacaune ewes' milk and REP never differed in their average daily gain but grew less than MOT lambs in the early suckling period and just after weaning. No effect was detected afterwards. On D30, LAC and REP lambs had lower total antioxidant and higher redox status than MOT lambs but did not differ among themselves. Lacaune ewes' milk and MOT had a cleaner perianal area than REP lambs on D21, while faecal pathogen infection did not vary between the treatment groups. After vaccination, LAC also had a stronger immune response on D90 compared to REP lambs. Transcriptome analysis performed on D150 showed differential gene expression, mainly in relation to inflammatory, immune and cell cycle response, between male lambs of the LAC group and those of the MOT and REP groups. Based on QBA, LAC lambs never differed from MOT lambs in their general activity and varied from REP only on D21; REP lambs were always more agitated than MOT lambs. In conclusion, artificial milk feeding impaired early growth rate, health and emotional state mainly during the milk feeding period and at weaning. Feeding artificially reared lambs with fresh ewe's milk partly mitigated some of the negative effects induced by milk replacer but without achieving the full benefit of being reared by the mother.
Understanding perception of dairy cows to common human contact such as stroking is important for improving the human-animal relationship, animal welfare, and production. We hypothesized that repeated ...stroking of body regions licked most during social grooming, especially the ventral neck, would reduce cows’ avoidance of and increase their approach to humans. Sixty tethered dairy cows were randomly allocated to 4 treatment groups that received 5min of daily human contact 5 d/wk during 3 consecutive weeks: 3 groups were stroked on different body regions. The first group was stroked on the ventral part of the neck (neck); the second group on the withers (both licked often in social grooming); the third group on the lateral side of the chest (chest, licked rarely); and the last group (control) was exposed to simple human presence. The reactions to the person who had provided the treatment were measured using 2 tests in the home tie-stall assessing avoidance from an approaching person who tried to touch the head (approaching person test) and avoidance/approach reactions to a stationary person (stationary person test). Approach behavior was recorded in a novel environment using a standard arena test. In the home tie-stall, cows stroked on the neck showed less avoidance (median avoidance score: 3.33) in the approaching person test compared with cows stroked on the chest and the controls (both: 4.00). That is, at least 75% of the animals stroked on the neck tolerated the touching of their heads (75th percentile≤3.75), whereas at least 50% of the cows in the other treatment groups did not accept it. The stationary person test did not reveal any differences between the treatment groups. In the arena test, the 3 stroked groups showed more approach behavior (median latencies to contact: from 145 to 240s) compared with simple human presence (300s), but stroking treatments did not differ from each other. Stroking, particularly the neck, reduced avoidance of and increased approach reactions to humans in both the home tie-stall and the arena. Increasing acceptance of being touched after being stroked on the neck suggests that this procedure should be adopted to improve routine handling of dairy cattle.
Numerous studies have investigated the emotional effects of various acute, potentially alarming events in animals, but little is known about how an accumulation of emotional experiences affects ...fearfulness. Fearfulness is a temperament trait that characterizes the propensity of an individual to be frightened by a variety of alarming events. The aim of this study was to investigate a putative alteration of fearfulness in sheep repeatedly exposed to various aversive events. Forty-eight 5-month-old female lambs were used. Over a period of 6 weeks, 24 of them (treated group) were exposed daily to various unpredictable and uncontrollable aversive events related to predatory cues, social context and negative handling that can occur under farming conditions. The other 24 lambs (control group) were housed in standard farming conditions (predictable food distribution and group handling). Fearfulness (behavioural and physiological responses) was assessed before and after the treatment period by subjecting the lambs to three standardized tests: individual exposure to suddenness and then to novelty in a test arena, and group exposure to a motionless human in the home pen. As biomarkers of stress, leukocyte counts, heart rate and cortisol concentrations were measured in the lambs in their home pens. Before the treatment, the emotional responses of the groups did not differ. After the treatment, treated lambs approached the human less often, had less contact with the novel object and vocalized more than controls in individual tests, suggesting that long-term exposure to unpredictable and uncontrollable aversive events increases subsequent fearfulness in sheep. In addition, treated lambs had lower leukocyte counts, heart rate and cortisol levels, pointing to a chronic stress state. These findings suggest that increased fearfulness may be used as a sign of chronic stress in farm animals.
Gentle handling seems to elicit positive states in sheep. The study investigated whether spatial distance alters sheep responses to brushing and whether spatial distance is influenced by reactivity. ...Twenty Romane ewes were assessed in three sessions: in Sessions 1 and 3, one grid separated the test animal from pen mates, with no distance between them, and in Session 2 two grids separated the test animal from pen mates by a distance of about 1.7 m. Ewes had been genetically selected for low (R-) or high (R+) behavioural reactivity to social isolation. Body postures, head orientation, ear postures, closed and half-closed eyes, tail wagging and feeding behaviour, in addition to heart rate (HR) and HR variability, as the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD), standard deviation of all normal-to-normal (NN) intervals (SDNN), RMSSD/SDNN ratio and ratio between low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) powers (LF/HF) were assessed. Data were analysed using generalized linear models and linear mixed models. Session, genetic line and phase (pre-, brushing and post-brushing) were considered fixed effects. Increased distance in Session 2 might not have influenced ewes' responses. Fewer changes in ear postures were noted in Session 3 than 1 (P<0.01), suggesting that ewes were more relaxed in Session 3. The RMSSD/SDNN ratio was higher mainly during brushing in Sessions 1 and 3 (P<0.05), indicating that ewes were more relaxed during brushing, and at no distance between pen mates. However, spatial distance influenced R- and R+ ewes' responses; R+ ewes performed more asymmetric ear postures in Session 2 than 1 and 3 (P<0.01), and in Session 3 than 1 (P<0.01), indicating that spatial distance had a negative effect on R+ ewes. Low reactive ewes spent less time on horizontal ear postures in Session 2 than 1 and 3 (P<0.01), and R+ ewes spent more time on horizontal postures in Session 1 than 3 (P<0.01). Curiously, R- ewes spent more time eating and ruminating in Session 3 than 1 (P<0.01), and in Session 2 than 1 and 3 (P<0.01), whereas R+ ewes ate and ruminated more in Session 1 than 3 (P<0.05). Higher HR was found among R- ewes in Session 2 than 1 and 3, and in Session 3 than 1 (P<0.01). High reactive ewes showed higher HR in Session 1 than 3 (P<0.01). The findings suggest that the social context might influence sheep responses to gentle handling, and the effects depend on their reactivity traits.
Between-farm variation in animal reactions to humans can reflect different management styles and behavioral tendencies among farmers. Animals are well known to discriminate among humans, but less ...clear is the key issue of whether they more or less easily generalize their experience from specific humans to others depending on management style. Here, we chose 2 contrasted management styles by known handlers: "gentle" management, that is, long-lasting exposure to positive human interactions (with limited negative interactions), and "aversive" management including long-lasting exposure to various negative human interactions (with only food delivery considered a positive interaction) and aversive events. Over a period of 19 wk, 15 female lambs were exposed to the gentle management treatment ("gently treated" group) and another 15 lambs ("aversively treated" group) were exposed to the aversive management treatment. To facilitate discrimination by animals, experimenters wore white clothes for aversive events and green clothes for farming handling (positive handling and feeding for the gently treated group and only feeding for the aversively treated group). Sheep perception of the human was assessed after the management period by submitting lambs from each group to 2 standardized tests: 1) the presence of a stationary human (familiar human in white vs. familiar human in green vs. unknown human) and 2) the presence of a moving human (familiar human in white vs. familiar human in green vs. unknown human). As expected, during the stationary human test, aversively treated lambs spent less time in the human zone (P<0.0001), showed greater latency to approach the human (P=0.05), and had fewer contacts with the human (P=0.05) than gently treated lambs. During the moving human test, aversively treated lambs also showed a greater escape distance from humans than gently treated lambs (P<0.0001). Aversively treated lambs showed the same fear responses towards familiar and unknown humans and tended to generalize their aversive experiences with one handler to all humans. In contrast, gently treated lambs seemed to discriminate familiar humans from unfamiliar humans. Different management styles could modulate farm generalization to humans in farm animals.
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.
Abstract The interactions between genetic and environmental factors on the development of lamb affinity to humans was assessed on 48 animals from two breeds (Gentile di Puglia and Comisana) and two ...treatments (Gentled and Not Gentled) producing 4 groups (GPg, GPng, Cg, Cng, respectively). The Gentile di Puglia and Comisana gentled animals were subjected to a period of training consisting of gently handling each lamb for 5 min three times a day for the first week and then twice a week for three additional weeks. The gentling procedure included both tactile and visual/auditory interactions. At 30–32 days of age lambs were subjected to three arena tests conducted in a novel environment: i) isolation test (each animal was exposed to a novel environment, and isolated from tactile and visual contact with conspecifics for 5 min), ii) stationary human test (as previously but a human sitting in a corner of the pen), and iii) pen-mates' test (each animal was tested in the presence of 2 pen-mates whose behaviour was not recorded). During the 13 training sessions lambs exhibited an increasing number of contacts with the human and a decreasing number of bleats (P < 0.001), although Gentile di Puglia lambs interacted more with the human (P < 0.001) and tended to bleat less (P < 0.10) than Comisana lambs. Lambs vocalised more and climbed more when tested in isolation as compared with lambs tested either with the human or with the pen-mates (P < 0.01) and they vocalised more in the presence of the human than with the pen-mates (P < 0.001). A higher number of contacts with the human stimulus was observed in gentled animals (P < 0.05). However, differences between gentled and not gentled animals were only significant in Gentile di Puglia subjects (P < 0.01). GPng lambs displayed the longest ambulatory activity during the isolation test (P < 0.05) and exhibited more climbing attempts during the isolation test as compared with the human or the pen-mates' tests (P < 0.001). A higher cortisol level was shown by GPng lambs in comparison with Cng subjects during the stationary human test (P < 0.01), whereas no differences were detected between the two gentled groups. Gentling determined an improvement of the quality of human animal relationship in more reactive breeds such as Gentile di Puglia sheep.
Between-farm variation in animal reactions to humans can reflect different management styles and behavioral tendencies among farmers. Animals are well known to discriminate among humans, but less ...clear is the key issue of whether they more or less easily generalize their experience from specific humans to others depending on management style. Here, we chose 2 contrasted management styles by known handlers: "gentle" management, that is, long-lasting exposure to positive human interactions (with limited negative interactions), and "aversive" management including long-lasting exposure to various negative human interactions (with only food delivery considered a positive interaction) and aversive events. Over a period of 19 wk, 15 female lambs were exposed to the gentle management treatment ("gently treated" group) and another 15 lambs ("aversively treated" group) were exposed to the aversive management treatment. To facilitate discrimination by animals, experimenters wore white clothes for aversive events and green clothes for farming handling (positive handling and feeding for the gently treated group and only feeding for the aversively treated group). Sheep perception of the human was assessed after the management period by submitting lambs from each group to 2 standardized tests: 1) the presence of a stationary human (familiar human in white vs. familiar human in green vs. unknown human) and 2) the presence of a moving human (familiar human in white vs. familiar human in green vs. unknown human). As expected, during the stationary human test, aversively treated lambs spent less time in the human zone (P < 0.0001), showed greater latency to approach the human (P = 0.05), and had fewer contacts with the human (P = 0.05) than gently treated lambs. During the moving human test, aversively treated lambs also showed a greater escape distance from humans than gently treated lambs (P < 0.0001). Aversively treated lambs showed the same fear responses towards familiar and unknown humans and tended to generalize their aversive experiences with one handler to all humans. In contrast, gently treated lambs seemed to discriminate familiar humans from unfamiliar humans. Different management styles could modulate farm generalization to humans in farm animals. PUBLICATION ABSTRACT
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