Temperament traits of beef calves measured under field conditions and their relationships to performance1

Abstract

A total of 3,050 German Angus (Aberdeen Angus x German dual-purpose breeds), Charolais, Hereford, Limousin, and German Simmental calves were used to examine temperament traits of beef cattle using 2 different test procedures. The chute test and the flight-speed test have been validated in terms of routine on-farm applicability. Behavior tests were performed in 2006 and 2007 on 24 commercial beef cattle farms located in the northern and eastern part of Germany. A single, trained observer assigned subjective scores to characterize the behavior of each animal during restraint in the head gate (calm, restless shifting, squirming, vigorous movement, violent struggling) and when leaving the chute (walk, trot, run, jumping out of the chute). Breed was a significant source of variation in chute scores and flight-speed scores (P < 0.001). Charolais and Limousin cattle had the greatest scores in both traits, whereas Herefords had the least (P < 0.001) chute scores. German Angus and Hereford calves had the least (P < 0.001) flight-speeds, indicating that these breeds have a more favorable temperament. Temperament scores differed significantly between male and female calves (P < 0.01), with females scoring better for both traits. Average daily BW gains of the calves were significantly influenced by effects of breed (P < 0.001) and sex (P < 0.001) of the calves. Heritabilities were estimated for chute- and flight-speed scores of beef cattle. They were least for chute score and flight-speed score of Limousin cattle with values of 0.11. In contrast, greatest heritabilities were 0.33 for chute score and 0.36 for flight-speed score of Hereford cattle. Genetic correlations were estimated among both temperament traits, with values between 0.57 and 0.98. Chute scores and visual flight-speed scores were negatively correlated with daily BW gain of the calves in most breeds. The results presented in this paper indicate that on-farm evaluation of beef cattle temperament is possible, either using the chute test or the flight-speed test. Genetic selection seems to be promising to improve temperament traits of beef cattle without decreasing production traits like ADG of the calves.

Temperament and its heritability in Corriedale and Merino lambs

“…The differences that were relevant (mainly for Corriedale farms D and B in 2010 and Merino farms M and K in 2011) might indicate differences in environment and management among farms (feeding strategies, way of handling and habituation to human presence) that might have affected the lamb's temperament, as has been suggested for calves (Hoppe et al, 2010). Flock size, paddock size, stocking density, feed type (native or improved pasture, with or without supplementation; Del Campo, 2011), frequency of handling, type of herding (use of dogs, horses, motorcycles; Grandin, 1998), frequency of rotation of stockpersons and number of animals handled by one person can affect temperament.…”

Genetics of cattle temperament and its impact on livestock production and breeding – a review

“…In a more recent study, heritability reached values of 0.13 and 0.25 for milking temperament and milking speed in Canadian Holstein cattle (Sewalem et al, 2011). The estimated heritability for temperament traits in beef cattle is on average higher but with a greater margin, ranging from 0.11 to 0.61, presumably due to different behaviour phenotypes and sample sizes (Burrow, 2001;Gauly et al, 2001;Phocas et al, 2006;Nkrumah et al, 2007;Hoppe et al, 2010). Besides the acceptance of genetic variances contributing to the modulation of behaviour, current knowledge about genotype-phenotype interactions is still limited.…”

“…Besides individual experiences and ageing, the influence of sex on cattle temperament is discussed. Some beef cattle studies documented that cows had higher temperament scores than steers (Voisinet et al, 1997;Gauly et al, 2002;Hoppe et al, 2010). Just as the production system promotes certain behavioural characteristics, animalspecific temperament can likewise affect relevant parameters in livestock production.…”

“…Dairy cattle showed a higher approachability than beef cattle (Murphey et al, 1980) and were more reactive to sudden noises during cattle auctions (Lanier et al, 2000). Moreover, numerous behaviour studies were conducted for different beef breeds enabling a temperament ranking from more calm breeds like Herford and Angus to breeds that are more temperamental like German Simmental or Charolais (Morris et al, 1994;Gauly et al, 2002;Hoppe et al, 2010).…”

“…In some of these behaviour related linkage studies, dominance effects of QTL were reported (Wegenhoft, 2005;Gutiérrez-Gil et al, 2008). Aberrations concerning rearing conditions and cattle breeds (Hoppe et al, 2010) as well as different evaluations of behaviour phenotypes and different marker densities complicate the comparability between studies and must be taken into account. Nevertheless, overlapping QTL were found between the studies, especially on BTA29 (Hiendleder et al, 2003;Gutiérrez-Gil et al, 2008;Glenske et al, 2011).…”