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The objectives of this study were to determine to what extent the flight distance of cows to humans was influenced by sire and management procedures before and after maturity, and whether there was a correlation between the flight distance and productivity on commercial dairy farms. Flight distance of 84 Holstein cows, the stockperson's daily routine management procedures and production performance were recorded repeatedly on eight commercial dairy farms. The management procedures for the animals at the suckling, growing, lactating and dry stages were classified into four categories by degree of tactile interactions between the stockperson and the animal: hand procedures with touch on (category A), nearby (category B) and apart (category C) from the animal, and machinery procedures (category D). There was no apparent sire effect on flight distance (P = 0.08), whereas the flight distance ranged from 1.17 ± 0.86 to 4.47 ± 2.01 m by farm (P < 0.01), and gradually shortened with repetition (P < 0.05). Regression analysis indicated that the length of time of category B at the suckling stage and category B at the dry stage accounted for 37% and 32% of the variation in flight distance, respectively. As for the total time of the four procedure categories, growing stage was the prime predictor of flight distance, which accounted for 36% of the variation. Flight distance tended to correlate with the first calving age (r = 0.66, P = 0.07). These results suggest the importance of non-producing periods, before maturity and during the dry period, on the subsequent and lifelong advantages of a good relationship between the stockperson and their animals.

The objective of this study was to examine the behavior of calf in an automatic milk replacer feeding system for the improvement of the system. Twenty-six calves were kept in a pen with an automatic milk replacer feeding station, a calf starter trough and a water trough.The location and behavioral type of individual calf were checked every minute during 24-hour observation.On the average, a calf lie 1,020 minutes/day, occupied the automatic feeding system for 35, waited 59 for the station and accessed calf starter trough for 61 minutes/day.Maximum occupancy time of the system was 92 minutes/day and the minimum was 5. There was long idle time in their rewarded occupancy. In total, 312 minutes/day was used for non-rewarded occupancy.The location or space occupation by calf with a higher rate was areas along with the partition of the pen, especially in front of the automatic feeding station and the trough for drinking water and calf starter.Calves used areas along with a partition wall without troughs or the station, for lying at rest in a higher rate. Calves spent little time in the center area of the pen. It was suggested that shorter idle time on rewarded occupancy and less non-rewarded occupancy was needed in this system for a better use of the automatic feeding system, and that more studies on dealing with space use of rearing area is needed a better design of housing.

In order to refine the national estimate of methane emission from stored cattle slurry, it is important to comprehend the basic characteristics of methane production. Two dairy cattle slurries were obtained from livestock farms located in Hokkaido (a northern island) and Kyushu (a southern island). The slurries were diluted with water into three levels: undiluted, three times diluted, and 10 times diluted. Three hundred mL of the slurries were put into a bottle with a headspace volume of 2.0 L, which was filled with nitrogen gas and then sealed by butyl rubber. Four levels of temperature were used for incubation: 35, 25, 15 and 5 °C. The time course of the cumulative methane production per volatile solid (VS) was satisfactorily expressed by an asymptotic regression model. The effect of dilution on the methane production per VS was not distinctive, but that of temperature was of primary importance. In particular, higher temperature yields a higher potential production and a shorter time when the cumulative production reaches half of the potential production. The inclusive and simple models obtained in this study indicate that the cumulative methane production from stored cattle slurry can be explained by VS, temperature and length of storage.

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