Influence of gentle touching applied few weeks before slaughter on avoidance distance and slaughter stress in finishing cattle
The present study investigated the effect of gentle touching applied during the last 5 weeks before slaughter in finishing cattle on behaviour towards humans, stress indicators and beef quality. Three experiments were carried out. Experiments 1, 2 and 3 employed eight Limousin crossbred bulls, eight Piemontese crossbreds (six females, two steers) and ten Limousin crossbreds […]
Young Blond d’Aquitaine, Angus and Limousin bulls differ in emotional reactivity: Relationships with animal traits, stress reactions at slaughter and post-mortem muscle metabolism
The present study investigated relationships between reactivity during tests, stress reactions at slaughter and animal traits in young Blond d’Aquitaine (BA), Limousin (LI) and Angus (AN) bulls. Behavioural and physiological reactivity of animals was evaluated during rearing using a “Human test” (exposure to human presence and handling) and an “Umbrella test (exposure to a sudden […]