The aims of present study were to investigate the relationship between temperament score and cortisol and lactic acid levels of blood, as well as the effect of temperament on the maternal ability traits (milk production, lamb preweaning gain) and the postweaning growth of lambs in Tsigai breed. The temperament of thirty-one Tsigai ewes was scored by the temperament score test (behaviour of animals was assessed in a 5-score system (1: calm, 5: nervous) while spending 30 s on the scale during weighing), in addition, the cortisol level and the lactic acid concentration of blood were measured at weaning. The weaning weight, temperament, cortisol concentration, the pre-and the postweaning weight gain of lambs were also investigated in this study. The cortisol level and lactic acid concentration were highly related to the temperament scores of ewes (r rank =0.79, P<0.001; r rank =0.53, P<0.01). The calmer ewes had a lower cortisol (1.79 nmol/l, P<0.001) and lactic acid (1.87 mmol/l, P<0.01) concentration compared to the results of nervous ewes (5.35 nmol/l, 3.11 mmol/l, resp.). It was statistically proven (P<0.01) that the calm ewes' lambs had higher preweaning weight gain (244.0 g/day) and weaning weight (22.0 kg) than nervous animals (201.7 g/day, 18.1 kg). In addition, the calm ewes milked by hand produced more milk (52.4 l, P<0.05) than nervous ewes (46.1 l) in the milking period. Furthermore, the calm ewes' lambs had lower temperament score and cortisol concentration and better fattening performance than lambs were originated from nervous ewes.Keywords: temperament, cortisol concentration, lamb rearing, milk production, Tsigai Zusammenfassung Einfluss des Temperamentes von Zackelschafen auf ihre Mütterlichkeit und die Aufzuchtleistung ihrer Lämmer nach dem AbsetzenUntersucht wurden bei 31 Zackelschafmüttern deren Temperament, die Kortisol-und Milchsäurekonzentration des Blutes sowie die Muttereigenschaften beurteilt nach der Milchleistung, der Lebenstagszunahme der Lämmer vor und nach dem Absetzen dieser. Sowohl die Blutkennwerte als auch der Temperamenttest der Mütter und Lämmer erfolgte bei der Tierwägung, wobei in einem Zeitraum von 30 Sekunden das Verhalten nach einem 5-Punktesystem (1=ruhig, 5=nervös) bewertet wurde. Sowohl bei der Kortisol-als auch der Milchsäurekonzentration ergaben sich bei den Müttern signifikante Rangkorrelationen zu den Temperamentpunktzahlen (r rank =0,79 bzw. r rank =0,53). Die Kortosol-bzw. MilchArchiv Tierzucht 53 (2010)

Abstract. We evaluated temperament of sheep using two temperament tests: temperament score test and flight test. Temperament score test: behaviour of animals was assessed in a 5-score system while weighing, spending 30 s on the scale. Flight time test: the time taken by an animal to move a set distance (1.7 m) after exiting a weighing scale into an open yard. 10 rams, 22 ewes Hungarian Merino, 13 rams, 19 ewes German Merino and 12 rams, 16 ewes German Blackhead lambs were lot-fed on 49 days, after weaning. The temperament score test was not related to the weight at weaning, therefore the measurement of the temperament was not affected by the weaning process (P>0.10). The gender not affected the temperament scores in either of observations or genotypes. In this investigation German Blackhead lambs were calmer, than Hungarian Merino lambs. The evaluation of the effects of temperament (temperament score test [TS] and flight time test [FT]) on body weight showed that lambs with calm temperament had higher weight at the end of fattening (TS: 44.88 kg and FT: 42.37 kg) and higher average daily weight gain as well (TS: 492.18 g/day and FT: 430.03 g/day), compared to nervous animals (TS: 36.20 kg and 330.08 g/day, P<0.001; FT: 36.73 kg and 345.77 g/day, P<0.05). The lambs with good temperament had better fattening performance (higher weight at end of fattening, faster weight gain) than nervous lambs.

the objective of this study was to examine associations between milking temperament, parity and milk production traits in primiparous and multiparous dairy cows. twenty-one primiparous and nineteen multiparous holstein friesian cows were involved in the investigation on a hungarian dairy farm. cows' stepping behaviour, milk yield and average milking speed were recorded once a month over an entire lactation, during morning milking. milking temperament was scored by direct human observation on a 5-point-scale (1=very nervous, 5=very quiet) during udder preparation and milking. multiparous cows showed a little more excitable behaviour at milking than during udder preparation (mann-whitney u=14165.00, p=0.032), and they were calmer at premilking preparation than primiparous cows (mann-whitney u=14046.00, p=0.001). milking temperament of multiparous cows during udder preparation was associated with milking speed: nervous cows let down their milk slower (f=9.102, df= 1, p=0.003). further experiments are needed to repeat the milking temperament test along with sensors measuring heart rate variability of cows in order to better understand the milking behaviour of cows. key words: dairy cow, lactation, milking temperament, milking speed, milk yieldIn intensive dairy farming modern housing and milking technologies mainly determine the welfare of animals. Dairy cows can reach their full performance potential only in an adequate production environment, in which they feel comfortable. Regarding the milking system, discomfort due to human presence as well as the milking process itself induces stress in cows, hereby milk ejection problems can occur (Van Reenen et al., 2002; Bruckmaier, 2005) and this also makes cows difficult

The aim of present study was to investigate the relationships between temperament score and milk production, as well as somatic cell count in a herd of Jersey and Holstein Friesian breeds. The temperament of 283 Jersey and 69 Holstein Friesian cows were assessed (scored) by the temperament score test (behaviour of animals was assessed in a 5-score system (1: calm, 5: nervous) while spending 30 s on the scale during weighing). The daily milk yield, fat, protein content and somatic cell count were also investigated in this study. Our investigation did not reveal any correlation between daily milk yield and temperament score. But milk somatic cell count was showed positive moderate relation with the temperament scores of Jersey (r rank =0. ; P=0.0001, resp.).

SZENTLÉLEKI, A., HERVÉ, J., PAJOR, F., FALTA, D., TŐZSÉR, J.: Temperament of Holstein Friesian cows in milking parlour and its relation to milk production. Acta univ. agric. et silvic. Mendel. Brun., 2008, LVI, No. 1, pp. 201-208 The aim of this study was to evaluate the change of temperament of Holstein cows scored before and during milking during the entire lactation and to calculate correlation between temperament measured in the two moments as well as milk production traits and temperament. Observations were carried out on 17 primiparous Holstein Friesian cows starting their lactation within 85 days. Measurements of temperament and milk production traits were taken once in each month of the lactation, during the morning milking, in a milking parlour. Temperament was assessed in a 5-point scale during udder preparation and milking procedure (1: very nervous, 5: very quiet). Data of milk yield and milk fl ow were collected individually on each test day morning. Results showed changes during the lactation in temperament of cows scored directly before milking (P < 0.01), however, temperament during milking did not alter with months (P > 0.10). By correlation coeffi cients, behaviour assessed in the two moments cannot be regarded as the same. In addition loose, signifi cant relations were found only between milk traits and temperament before milking. behaviour, lactation, milk production, dairy cows, animal welfare, Holstein Friesian (HF)