Search

Animal behavior can be a valuable indicator of the health and welfare status of an animal. Current assessments of cattle behavior in commercial settings rely upon human observers who are only capable of observing a relatively small proportion of animals for a small proportion of time. Moreover, the mere presence of human observers may alter normal behavioral patterns, making data difficult to interpret. To overcome these challenges, we developed a machine vision learning system to monitor cattle behavior on a commercial feedlot. Using continuous data collected from solar powered cameras, we set out to characterize the standing and lying patterns of feedlot cattle. A series of solar powered cameras were installed on a single pen of calves at a commercial feedlot (n=280; mean weight = 632lbs +/- 45). To characterize standing and lying behavior, a neural network model (YOLOv5) was trained and applied to pen images captured every 5 minutes during the day for weeks 2-20 of the feeding period (n=19,152). Algorithm precision and recall were 96% and 92%, respectively. Standing and lying behaviors showed a pattern of temporal cyclicity with the greatest proportion of cows standing at 0800 (92%) and 1700 (96%). The mean proportion of animals observed lying down increased during the feeding period (wk 2-8=36%; wk 9-14=39% and wk 15-20=45%). Machine vision learning systems can be an accurate and efficient means of quantifying behavioral patterns in commercial environments. Future work will examine how environmental and management factors (e.g. weather, pen moves) and morbidity alter behavioral patterns throughout the feeding period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stereotypic behavior is repetitive, invariant behavior with no obvious goal or function and may indicate negative welfare. Non-nutritive oral behaviors are the most common form of stereotypic behavior in captive ungulates and these include tongue rolling where the cow's tongue is extended, moving inside and outside of the mouth while the cow is not eating. We assessed the prevalence of tongue rolling in a large commercial dairy herd located in the United States by video recording cattle (n = 10,000) during three consecutive milkings on two rotary milking parlors. Associations between tongue rolling behavior, breed, age, days in milk, pregnancy status and milk production were assessed. In total, 29% percent (2,931) of cows were observed tongue rolling on the rotary parlor during at least one milking; 6% (613) were observed tongue rolling during two milkings; and 1.6% (164) were observed tongue rolling during all three sampling periods. Breed was the only variable associated with tongue rolling in the rotary parlor with nearly twice the proportion of Jersey (33%) vs Jersey X Holstein (17%) exhibiting tongue rolling behavior (P < 0.0001). The higher incidence of tongue rolling among Jersey vs Jersey X Holstein cattle within a shared environment suggests a strong genetic component that warrants further investigation. Validated sampling strategies for assessing tongue rolling in dairy cattle are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preferential relationships have been reported between individual cows within a herd. However, less is known about the ontogeny of preferential relationships between calves and subsequent bonding behavior. The objective of this study was to characterize these relationships in pre-weaned beef calves, with the hypothesis that calves form preferential relationships with one another prior to weaning. Ten weeks prior to commencing formal observations, forty mature Angus cows and their calves were randomly selected from a research herd, balanced for calf sex and allocated to one of two grazing paddocks approximately 12 acres in size. Two weeks prior to weaning, direct observations of calf behavior were performed over period of 12 days, using instantaneous scan sampling between 0700-1230h or 1300-1830h, resulting in 6 scans per calf/day X 12 days (72 scans/calf). For each calf, the identity and proximity (in calf lengths) of the calf in closest proximity (aka nearest neighbor) was noted, as well as behavior. The ethogram included calf behavior (grazing, nursing, lying, drinking, locomotion, social contact and standing idle), and sociality was categorized as being within 5 calf lengths of another calf. Sociality was observed in 60% of all scans, and sociality of individual calves ranged from 47% to 72% of the scans observed (72 scans/calf). The statistical model investigating sociality included calf sex and the interaction of day and paddock. Sociality was equally likely in bulls and heifers (0.59 +/-0.1; p=0.80). A significant day by paddock interaction was also identified (p=0.001), but no obvious trends were apparent. In conclusion, preliminary results provide support for individual differences in sociality of pre-weaned beef calves prior to weaning. Further analysis will explore if preferential relationships exist between individual calves, and how these might be associated with different behavioral states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]