Observations on the responses of feedlot cattle to attempted environmental enrichment

We provided comfortable resting areas in pens and tools for self-grooming and suppressing aggressive behavior for environmental enrichment in Japanese black and Japanese Shorthorn calves. At the start of the experiment, the black calves (n = 10) were 164 days old and 138 kg in weight, and the Japanese Shorthorn calves (n = 10) were 176 days old and 164 kg in weight. Calves of each breed were divided into two groups (the enrichment group and the non-treatment group), and each group was housed in a 4 m x 7.2 m pen. The effect of enrichment on calf welfare was estimated on the basis of daily weight gain and behavior. The brush stimulated the grooming behavior in calves although the mean time of using the brush decreased during the experiment. The partition of the feed trough and the wooden wall in the pen decreased the agonistic behavior in Japanese Shorthorn calves (P < 0.01) and increased the affiliative behavior in Japanese black calves (P = 0.08). The cleanliness of the bedding increased sternum lying and lying with the head touching the flank or ground in Japanese black calves and decreased the standing resting behavior in both breeds (P < 0.05 in all the cases). However, the treatments did not have an effect on daily weight gain. We concluded that the treatments would improve the welfare of calves and function as environmental enrichments.

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of ‘Five freedoms’ environmental enrichment on the welfare of calves reared indoors

Ninomiya

Sato

2009

“…Environmental enrichment is known as one of the methods for improving animal welfare in animal husbandry (Takeda 2007), and it has been studied in cattle (Pelley et al. 1995; Wilson et al.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Environmental enrichment is known as one of the methods for improving animal welfare in animal husbandry (Takeda 2007), and it has been studied in cattle (Pelley et al 1995;Wilson et al 2002;Ishiwata et al 2006;Kohari et al 2007). However, if environmental enrichment does not conform to the animal's characteristics, it would have no effect or a negative effect on the animal (Young 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Display of a peer's face picture enhances the preference for a pen in preference testing in cows

Ninomiya

Sato

2009

Using preference testing, we investigated the effect of a brush and a peer's face picture on the welfare of breeding beef cows. Four cows were used in experiment 1 and another four cows were used in experiment 2. An experimental barn consisted of two 3.5 square-meter pens, and a corridor measuring 1.6 m wide and 1.3 m long. During the experiment, either side of the pens were treated. In experiment 1, straw bedding was placed in a treated pen (condition B) in the first two trials, a brush was added in the treated pen (condition BB) in the next two trials, and a peer's face picture was displayed in the treated pen (condition BBF) in the last two trials. In experiment 2, condition B was applied for the first two trials, a peer's face picture was displayed in the treated pen (condition BF) in the next two trials, and condition BBF was applied for the last two trials. Each cow was housed alone from 09.00 hour to 15.00 h in the experimental barn during the six trials. The cows stayed in the treatment pen longer than in the non-treatment pen under all conditions in experiments 1 and 2. In experiment 1, the mean total time spent in the treatment pen was longer under condition BBF than under conditions B and BB. In experiment 2, the mean total time spent in the treatment pen was shorter under condition B than under conditions BF and BBF. The mean percentage of time spent ruminating was greater under condition BBF than under condition B. It is concluded that the cows preferred the peer's face picture in the isolated condition of preference testing in this study.

“…Grooming using inanimate objects has been recently addressed from the viewpoint of environmental enrichment in animal welfare. Pelley et al . (1995) pointed out the necessity of such grooming from the viewpoint of stimulus in an artificial husbandry condition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Grooming using inanimate objects has been recently addressed from the viewpoint of environmental enrichment in animal welfare. Pelley et al (1995) pointed out the necessity of such grooming from the viewpoint of stimulus in an artificial husbandry condition. Wilson et al (2002) reported actual instances in which feedlot cattle had frequently used the scratching/rubbing object presented to them.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of environmental enrichment by providing trees as rubbing objects in grassland: Grazing cattle need tree‐grooming

Kohari

Kosako

Fukasawa

et al. 2007

We examined the role of trees as grooming objects in grazing pasture and investigated their necessity. Four grazing Japanese Black cows were used. Experimental pastures with restricted (RST) and released (RLS) grooming with trees were established. Examination was carried out for 24 h in each RST and RLS. The respective frequencies and duration of self‐grooming, allo‐grooming (social grooming) and grooming with trees was recorded by a continuous scan sampling method, and maintenance behavior was recorded by a 2‐min group animal scan sampling method. Grooming with trees in RLS occurred 29 ± 12 times/24 h and for 1342 ± 475 s/24 h. Total frequencies and duration of grooming in RLS tended to increase from that in RST (P = 0.08, P = 0.06, respectively). However, self‐grooming and allo‐grooming exhibited no differences. The results indicate that cattle may enrich their grooming through the use of trees if the latter are available. Furthermore, they may not substitute grooming with trees with other forms of grooming if no trees are available in the grassland. No difference was observed in the general proportion of their maintenance behavior. These results suggest that trees in grassland provide a good environmental enrichment object that satisfies cattle's potential needs of grooming and did not restrict their general behavior.