Cattle

Spitzer, H. B., Meagher, R. K., O’Sullivan, M. L. et al. 2024. The effect of a hiding space on the behaviour and heart rate variability of dairy calves during temporary separation from the dam. Animal Welfare 33, e2.

In natural settings, newborn calves hide for several days before joining the herd. It is unclear whether dairy calves housed indoors would show similar hiding behaviour. This study aimed to describe the use of an...

Olsen, H. E., Vogel, K. D., Creutzinger, K. C. 2024. Use of a calving blind that imitates a natural environment. Animals 14(8), 1171.

Many indoor-housed cows isolate at calving when given the opportunity, and calving behaviors vary by blind and pen design. The objectives of this study were to determine if cows preferred calving in a visibly separated...

Mota-Rojas, D., Whittaker, A. L., Domínguez-Oliva, A. et al. 2024. Tactile, auditory, and visual stimulation as sensory enrichment for dairy cattle. Animals 14(9), 1265.

Several types of enrichment can be used to improve animal welfare. This review summarizes the literature on the use of mechanical brushes, tactile udder stimulation, music, and visual stimuli as enrichment methods for dairy cows...

Mahendran, S. A., Wathes, D. C., Booth, R. E. et al. 2024. Effects of the individual and pair housing of calves on long-term heifer production on a UK commercial dairy farm. Animals 14(1), 125.

Pair housing of pre-weaning dairy calves has previously demonstrated positive impacts on their growth, health and behaviour, but longer-term effects on production are still relatively unknown. This study followed a cohort of 431 Holstein heifers...

Lenner, Á., Papp, Z. L., Szabó, C. et al. 2024. Calming Hungarian grey cattle in headlocks using processed nasal vocalization of a mother cow. Animals 14(1), 135.

Sound analysis is an important field of research for improving precision livestock farming systems. If the information carried by livestock sounds is interpreted correctly, it could be used to improve management and welfare assessment in...

Field, L., Hemsworth, L., Jongman, E. et al. 2024. Early-life contact with non-maternal adult cows and a pasture-based rearing environment influence behavioural responses of dairy heifers to novelty. Animal Welfare 33, e18.

The complexity experienced in early life can affect trait development of individuals, including sociability and fearfulness. The modern dairy calf’s rearing environment often lacks environmental and social complexity. This study examined the effects of early-life...

Russell, A. L., Randall, L. V., Kaler, J. et al. 2024. Housed dairy cows utilise varied environmental enrichments and show diverse inter-individual variation in habituation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 274, 106241.

There is currently a focus on the importance of providing positive experiences to farm animals, which can be facilitated through the provision of environmental enrichment. Brushes are an established enrichment resource for dairy cows, however...

Crump, A., Jenkins, K., Bethell, E. J. et al. 2024. Pasture access and eye temperature in dairy cows. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 27(2), 234–242.

Pasture access can benefit dairy cows’ behavior, health, and welfare, but herds are increasingly housed indoors full-time. Recent infrared thermal-imaging (thermography) studies suggest that higher eye temperatures may be a physiological indicator of chronic stress...

Coon, R. E., Tucker, C. B. 2024. Measuring motivation for alfalfa hay in feedlot cattle using voluntary interaction with an aversive stimulus. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 271, 106165.

Typical diets for finishing cattle are concentrate-rich and low in roughage, which may limit species-specific feeding behaviours and increase the risk of digestive disorder. Our objective was to measure how motivated finishing steers are to...

Taylor, P. S., Schrobback, P., Verdon, M. et al. 2023. An effective environmental enrichment framework for the continual improvement of production animal welfare. Animal Welfare 32, e14.

Substrates and objects are provided to farm animals on the assumption that they improve animal welfare by enriching the environment, but these often fail to consider the extent to which an environmental enrichment (EE) improves...

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