Five or eight weeks of restricted suckling: influence on dairy calves’ feed intake, growth and suckling behaviour
Concern about welfare and behavioural needs of animals has increased the interest in keeping calf and cow together after parturition. In this experiment six calves suckled their dams twice a day for five weeks then once a day for three weeks (DAM8). Six calves (DAM5) suckled during five weeks in the same way as calves […]
A survey of dairy calf management practices in Canada that affect animal welfare
There is growing interest among the public in farm animal welfare and a need for methods to assess animal welfare on farm. A survey on calf rearing practices that might affect dairy calf welfare was performed via a 1-h interview on 115 dairy farms (mean ± SD: herd size = 52.5 ± 20.9 cows; milk […]
Assessing sleep state in calves through electrophysiological and behavioural recordings: A preliminary study
Adequate sleep is important for the health and well being of animals but we lack non-invasive methods to record sleep states from group-housed, freely-moving farm animals. We used electrophysiological data (electroencephalography; EEG, electromyography; EMG, and electro-oculography; EOG) to characterize sleep states in calves and examined how well observations of resting behaviour were correlated with the […]
A survey of the management and development of captive African elephant (Loxodonta africana) calves: birth to three months of age
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.20195.abs We used four surveys to collect information about the birth, physical growth, and behavioral development of 12 African elephant calves born in captivity. The management of the birth process and neonatal care involved a variety of standard procedures. All of the calves were born at night, between 7PM and 7AM. The calves showed […]
Heart rate variability: A noninvasive approach to measure stress in calves and cows
The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of heart rate variability (HRV) and its specific parameters as a new approach to assess stress load in cattle. We recorded HRV in 52 calves in three groups and in 31 cows in two groups. In calves we divided Group 1 with no obvious stress […]
The effects of early separation on the dairy cow and calf
Most dairy producers believe that early separation of the cow and calf is necessary for reproductive efficiency, to minimise health problems and to improve the ease of milking. In addition, many consider that it is less distressing for both animals if separation occurs earlier rather than later. In this paper we review the welfare and […]
Proximate composition of milk of the bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) in comparison to other African bovids and to hand-rearing formulas
African bovids represent a highly diverse group with divergent neonatal care strategies. The extent to which their milks reflect this diversity is poorly understood. We analyzed milk of the bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus) to compare its composition to milks of other African bovids and to evaluate bongo milk replacement formulas. Milk samples from three individuals (0 […]
Acoustic analysis of cattle (Bos taurus) mother–offspring contact calls from a source–filter theory perspective
Cattle vocalisations have been proposed as potential indicators of animal welfare. However, very few studies have investigated the acoustic structure and information encoded in these vocalisations using advanced analysis techniques. Vocalisations play key roles in a wide range of communication contexts; e.g. for individual recognition and to help coordinate social behaviours. Two factors have greatly […]
Assessing cow-calf welfare. Part 1: Benchmarking beef cow health and behavior, handling; and management, facilities, and producer perspectives
Assessment programs are one way beef producers communicate information about animal welfare to retailers and the public. Programs that monitor cattle through the production cycle (e.g., the Global Animal Partnership) or at individual stages (e.g., slaughter; the North American Meat Institute) exist, but to date, there is no assessment program addressing welfare specifically in the […]
Assessing cow-calf welfare. Part 2: Risk factors for beef cow health and behavior and stockperson handling
Epidemiological studies can be used to identify risk factors for livestock welfare concerns but have not been conducted in the cow-calf sector for this purpose. The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationships of 1) herd-level management, facilities, and producer perspectives with cattle health and behavior and stockperson handling and 2) stockperson handling […]