Relationship Between Temperament and Nursing behavior in 72 Hours post-partum of Kamphaengsaen Beef Cattle
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Abstract
Objective: This study aims to examine the behavior and emotional states of beef cattle between cows exhibiting calm emotional states and cows exhibiting aggressive emotional states in relation to their nursing behaviors within 72 hours postpartum.
Materials and Methods: The reached sixteen Kamphaeng Saen cattle. The experiment's apparatus consists of a camera, a laptop, a chute test and an exit velocity test to assess the temperament status of the individual cows. Once the temperamental states are grouped, the temperamental states of the cows are grouped, and then their behavior is observed from the day before the prepartum period to 72 hours following postpartum. Information on nursing behavior was collected through the use of video recordings.
Results: The results of the temperament test using the chute test and the exit velocity test technique. The results showed that the low and high means chute scores were 1.67±0.31 and 4.00±0.33, with minimum and maximum exit velocities of 0.21±0.02 m/s and 0.54±0.19 m/s, respectively. Temperament groups were categorized on the basis of the average value of chute score and exit velocity: calm cattle (n = 7) and ill-tempered cattle (n = 9). The results show that the calmer cows have a delayed calving to-calf contact after postpartum compared to the ill-tempered cows, which take 6.57±0.24 seconds and 3.66±0.21 seconds, respectively. Ill-tempered cattle approach calves 72 hours after postpartum more often than calm cattle, namely 18.22±0.34 times and 13.28±0.39 times, respectively. However, calving to calf licking takes longer in calm cattle than in cattle with poor dispositions, namely 43.00±0.88 minutes and 37.55±0.77 minutes, respectively.
Conclusion: The temperamental state of cows has different influences on nursing behavior, such as contact between cows and calf, licking the calf and approaching the calf 72 hours after postpartum. This behavior showed the maternal behavior toward the calf nursing after postpartum. As a result, by understanding each individual cow's temperamental state, it is possible to manage them individually and reduce the possibility that farm stimuli alter their temperamental state and nursing behavior.
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