The effects of calf social housing on the relationships between people and animals are not well understood, even though they have long-term effects on the care and management of calves. Researchers from the University of Florida have shed some light on the subject in a new study.
We don’t know enough about how dairy calves raised in different housing environments learn to act in ways that are helpful to humans. So, researchers tested the effects of social housing on human-directed behaviour in calves raised alone or in pairs before and after they were weaned. They did this in different settings.
Different behaviours were looked at before and after weaning to see if there were any effects on human-directed behaviour when calves from different treatments are mixed together and put into groups after weaning. This could have long-term effects on the management and welfare of heifers.
Keeping track of how people act
Holstein heifer calves were given either single or pair housing when they were born. At 3 and 5 weeks old, a human approach test was done in the home pen. At 4 weeks old, the same test was done in a new testing area.
The steps for both the home pen and the new testing arena were taken from what Jago et al. wrote (1999). At 8 weeks old, after the calves moved to group housing, a second home pen test was done to see if there were any effects on human-directed behaviour that could last after weaning.
With the help of Behavioural Observation Research Interactive Software, all of the behaviours that were recorded continuously on video were put into an ethogram. A second goal of this research was to see if there was a link between human-directed behaviour in different testing situations.
Also, heifers give birth at the right age
Milk-producing dairy replacement heifers are probably the most important animals on a farm, but they also cost a lot to raise. So, for farmers to get the most money out of their investments, it is very important that they raise their heifers well and have their calves around 24 months. Read on…
Human-directed behaviour before weaning
During the home pen approach tests, the responses of calves that lived alone and those that lived in pairs were different. When compared to calves that lived in pairs, calves that lived alone spent more time with people and more time doing non-nutritive oral behaviours that were directed by people. Calves that lived in pairs spent less time looking at the person inside the arena and more time doing pen-directed oral behaviours that didn’t help them eat.
Human-directed behaviour after weaning
In the home pen approach test after weaning, the way the animal was treated in its previous home affected how long it looked at the person and how often it touched the person. Before, when calves lived alone, they spent more time looking at people and were more likely to touch them. But there were no big changes in pen-directed non-nutritive oral behaviour or self-grooming after the previous housing treatment.
The researchers came to the following conclusion: “Our results suggest that early life social housing has effects on human-directed behaviours of dairy calves that continue after weaning. Calves housed alone seem more motivated to do several human-directed behaviours than calves housed in pairs.”
“Repeated testing over longer periods of time or later in life may help us learn more about how human-directed behaviour develops.” Other differences might have become clear after being around or handled by people for a longer time.”
They also said that it has been thought that animals who live alone have stronger reactions to human-animal interactions and a higher chance of getting close to people because of their solitary environment. This could mean that calves raised with other calves of the same species form stronger bonds with their peers, while calves raised alone may have formed stronger bonds with people, making them easier to handle as they grow into heifers.
Heifer management
Findings help us learn more about how early social housing, especially pair housing of calves, may affect the development of human-directed behaviour and lead to differences that last after weaning and may change how heifers are managed.
People think that calves who are comfortable around people may give birth to heifers who are calm and easy to handle. A CRC Research report showed that cattle with better temperaments lose less weight during long-distance transport and gain weight more quickly afterward.
Also, the 2022 dairy heifer needs to be raised with careful attention to detail.
Since the cost of inputs on dairy farms is going up, more care and attention should be paid to making sure that replacement dairy heifers are raised as efficiently as possible. Read on…
Associate Professor Amber Adams-Progar of Washington State University said, “It’s amazing how much difference handling practise makes, even for calves that haven’t been weaned yet. It changes how easy they are to handle as they grow up. Any stress on a cow or heifer in her first lactation will cause her to let less milk out. We’d like to stay away from this if we can.”
Adams-Progar thinks that a lot of how well heifers are managed depends on the skills and personality of the people who work with them, as well as how the animals act.
She said, “It’s not just about training the young cows.” “The employees are very important. I can’t say enough about how important it is that both the handlers and the animals are safe. People need to be able to read people’s actions, but you can’t teach this in an hour. It takes a certain set of skills and the right personality.”
She thinks it’s important for people who work in maternity pens and with cows and calves to stay calm and steady in their movements, stand in the right way, and be aware of their surroundings.
