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- Graunke, Katharina, et al.
(författare)
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Does rubber flooring improve welfare and production in growing bulls in fully slatted floor pens?
- 2011
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Ingår i: Animal Welfare. - 0962-7286 .- 2054-1538. ; 20, s. 173-183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study compared the effects of concrete slats (CS), synthetic rubber slats on aluminium profiles (RS) and slotted rubber mats on concrete slats (RM) in fully slatted floor pens on behaviour, claw and leg disorders, claw horn growth, cleanliness and production parameters of growing dairy bulls from 225 to 650 kg average liveweight Each pen housed five bulls up to 400 kg average liveweight and four bulls thereafter. On CS, lying bouts were less frequent and longer than on RM and RS at 250 kg. Lying down phase I was longest on CS and shortest on RM. Interrupted attempts at lying down occurred twice as often on CS as on the rubber floors. Severity scores for white line haemorrhage and sole haemorrhage were higher in bulls on CS than on RM. Swelling on legs had highest scores on CS, whereas the severity score for heel horn erosion was lowest on CS. Floor type had no effect on dermatitis, leg hairlessness and skin damage. Both claw horn growth and wear were greater on CS than on RS and RM. Bulls on RS and CS were cleanest Slaughter age tended to be higher and carcase conformation score tended to be lower on CS than on rubber, whereas feed intake, feed efficiency and other carcase traits were unaffected. The results indicate that rubber flooring improves animal welfare compared with concrete.
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- Graunke, Katharina, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of weather on the behaviour of outdoor-wintered beef cattle in Scandinavia
- 2011
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Ingår i: Livestock Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 1871-1413 .- 1878-0490. ; 136, s. 247-255
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The aim of the present investigation was to study the effect of weather and available protection on the behaviour of outdoor-wintered beef cattle (Bos taurus). A herd of 78-85 cattle head was studied during four winter months in the Southwest of Sweden. Protection was offered by coniferous forest situated on and around the 12 ha pasture, which we divided into protection categories. During 240 h we observed 10 cows and 10 heifers as focal animals (each 3 h/month) during day time and adjusted observation times to the altitude of the sun. Close to the animals and at an unprotected spot of the pasture we measured temperature, wind speed and solar radiation and combined these variables to a single measure called Wind Chill Temperature (WCT). During observations the animals were in the forest in 12.4%, near protection in 10.4% and without protection in 77.2% of the recordings. During precipitation, i.e. rain, snow and hail, the animals frequented the forest 2.71 times more often than during dry weather; however, only in 17.0% of the hours with precipitation the focal animals were in the forest. In 75.0% of the observation hours the WCT in the animals' surrounding was at least 2 degrees C higher than at the most exposed spot of the pasture. Without precipitation the animals were lying less, feeding more and ruminating less at low WCT. During precipitation they were lying more, feeding less and ruminating more at low WCT. The lower the WCT and the higher the wind speed the more subjects there were within a 5 m-radius around the focal animal. The results indicate that the cattle adjusted their behaviour to both WCT and precipitation, that they were able to find warmer microclimates even without always having to frequent protecting objects, and that conspecifics were used as protection. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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- Graunke, Katharina L, et al.
(författare)
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Describing temperament in an ungulate : a multidimensional approach
- 2013
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - San Fransisco, USA : Public library science. - 1932-6203. ; 8:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Studies on animal temperament have often described temperament using a one-dimensional scale, whereas theoretical framework has recently suggested two or more dimensions using terms like "valence" or "arousal" to describe these dimensions. Yet, the valence or assessment of a situation is highly individual. The aim of this study was to provide support for the multidimensional framework with experimental data originating from an economically important species (Bos taurus). We tested 361 calves at 90 days post natum (dpn) in a novel-object test. Using a principal component analysis (PCA), we condensed numerous behaviours into fewer variables to describe temperament and correlated these variables with simultaneously measured heart rate variability (HRV) data. The PCA resulted in two behavioural dimensions (principal components, PC): novel-object-related (PC 1) and exploration-activity-related (PC 2). These PCs explained 58% of the variability in our data. The animals were distributed evenly within the two behavioural dimensions independent of their sex. Calves with different scores in these PCs differed significantly in HRV, and thus in the autonomous nervous system's activity. Based on these combined behavioural and physiological data we described four distinct temperament types resulting from two behavioural dimensions: "neophobic/fearful--alert", "interested--stressed", "subdued/uninterested--calm", and "neoophilic/outgoing--alert". Additionally, 38 calves were tested at 90 and 197 dpn. Using the same PCA-model, they correlated significantly in PC 1 and tended to correlate in PC 2 between the two test ages. Of these calves, 42% expressed a similar behaviour pattern in both dimensions and 47% in one. No differences in temperament scores were found between sexes or breeds. In conclusion, we described distinct temperament types in calves based on behavioural and physiological measures emphasising the benefits of a multidimensional approach.
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