Characterisation of Shy-feeding and Feeding lambs in the first week in a feedlot

Rice, Maxine; Borg, S. S.; Butler, K. L.; Hemsworth, P.H.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2016.03.011

Cited by 17 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Fearful calves were more attentive in the novelty tests, which may indicate they are more attentive and responsive to changes in their environment (e.g., by increasing solid feed intake in response to milk removal to complete weaning earlier). Research on lambs has shown that fear responses do not translate to a feeding context (Rice et al, 2016). We found that fearful calves had reduced preweaning drinking speed, which may be an indication of low feeding motivation or reflect a preferred feeding rate that is characteristic for these calves (Nielsen, 1999), so these calves may not see milk removal as particularly stressful.…”

Section: Fearful and Exploratory-active Personality Traitsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Individual characteristics in early life relate to variability in weaning age, feeding behavior, and weight gain of dairy calves automatically weaned based on solid feed intake

Neave

Costa

Benetton

et al. 2019

Journal of Dairy Science

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Little is known about factors affecting individual variability in weaning age, feeding behavior, and growth of dairy calves. The objectives of this study were to (1) describe early-life individual characteristics of dairy calves and how these relate to weaning age, feeding behavior, and performance during the first 15 wk of age, and (2) to identify which of these individual characteristics predict weaning age of calves automatically weaned based on solid feed intake. Early-life characteristics of calves (n = 43) included scores for vitality at birth, drinking ability, learning ability to use the automated milk feeder in a group pen from d 1 of age, and personality traits assessed using exposure to a novel environment, a human, and an object at d 21 of age. Calves received 12 L/d of milk until d 30 when milk was reduced by 25% relative to the individual's previous 3-d intake average. Calves were weaned based on intake of solid feed (milk reduced by 25% at each of 2 intermediate solid feed intake targets, 225 and 675 g/d), and were weaned when they consumed 1,300 g/d of solid feed, resulting in variable weaning ages. A principal component analysis identified 5 factors that we labeled as low vitality, fearful, strong drinker, slow learner, and exploratory-active. Calves that were slow learners weaned at a later age, whereas fearful calves weaned earlier. No other early-life individual characteristics were associated with weaning age. Other characteristics (low vitality, strong drinkers, and exploratoryactive) were associated with some measures of feeding behavior, feed intake, and growth, especially during the preweaning period. Measures of early solid feed intake (age to start eating and total preweaning intake) were best able to predict weaning age of calves. Individual early-life characteristics and measures of early solid feed intake can identify calves likely to do well or struggle during weaning.

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Section: Fearful and Exploratory-active Personality Traitsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Individual characteristics in early life relate to variability in weaning age, feeding behavior, and weight gain of dairy calves automatically weaned based on solid feed intake

Neave

Costa

Benetton

et al. 2019

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Some individuals will also respond more negatively than others when experiencing environmental changes. For instance, Rice et al (2016a) found that 18% of lambs entering a feedlot spent less than 30 min/day feeding, lost weight during the 1 st week, and were more likely to visit the feeder when no other lambs were present. This evidence suggests that the feeding behaviour of some individuals will change in response to social or environmental pressure.…”

Section: Expression Of Feeding Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some personality traits may drive consistent behavioural responses across a range of situations, whereas other traits may only manifest under specific contexts (Sloan Wilson et al, 1994;Beausoleil et al, 2012). For instance, lambs that spent < 30 min/day feeding in the 1 st week after arriving at the feedlot (termed 'shy-feeders') had no relationship with behavioural responses during isolation and restraint (Rice et al, 2016a). However, this study used a standardized test that elicited a fear response specific to isolation which may be unrelated to responses to stressors encountered in a highly social feeding environment.…”

Section: Exploring the Feeding Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review: Individual variability in feeding behaviour of domesticated ruminants

Neave

Weary

Keyserlingk

2018

Animal

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Individual animals behave differently from one another, especially when confronting challenges such as changes in diet (e.g. weaning), environment (e.g. moving from pasture to feedlot) and social grouping (e.g. movement to lactating group after parturition). Each of these challenges involves some element of novelty, impacting the welfare and productivity of the animal. Indeed, the large individual variability in the development and expression of feeding behaviour cannot be fully explained by differences in genetics, management practices, body size or growth rate. In this review we outline evidence that individual variability in feeding behaviour is associated with the personality of the individual. We focus on three key personality traits: exploration, fear or reactivity and sociability. Individuals differ in how much they explore their feeding environment, with more exploratory individuals being less reactive to novel situations. Feeding behaviour can be impaired in individuals that are especially reactive to a change in their environment, change in diet or handling or restraint by humans. The social environment is also a major factor affecting how individuals express their behaviour. Sociability of the individual, including dominant-subordinate and affiliative relationships, affects how individuals make foraging decisions, gain access to feed and adopt particular social strategies to maintain or adjust feeding patterns when the social environment changes. Personality traits such as exploration, boldness and sociability also affect the use of social information when learning where, how or what to eat. Our review highlights the implications of feeding behaviour variability for the welfare and productivity of the individual, and how an understanding of personality can help tailor management to the needs of the individual.

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“…A minority of respondents removed shy feeders from their mobs, although shy feeders have been recorded as occurring at rates between 5% 22 and 18%. 23 The lack of removal may indicate that shy feeders were not present, that ewes were not fed for a sufficient duration to identify and remove them, or that producers are not sufficiently aware of the problem and risks, meaning there is opportunity for industry education to improve ewe welfare.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A survey of producer practices and reproductive performance of containment and supplementary fed ewes

et al. 2021

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Containment feeding, where ewes are fed complete rations, is used to maintain flock numbers in periods of inadequate pasture supply. Producer practices influence both the reproductive performance of ewes and the risk of health challenges. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive, feeding and health management practices of producers using containment or supplementary feeding, and quantify any associations between practice and reproductive performance. An online survey of Australian producers was conducted in 2020. The number of responses (n = 43) allowed benchmarking but was insufficient to determine correlations between practice and performance. The reported pregnancy rate of adult Merino ewes was variable between respondents (78%-95%; n = 11), and lambs marked per ewe joined ranged from 60% to 110% (n = 9). In non-Merino flocks, lambs marked ranged from 82% to 161% (n = 4). Most respondents (9/11) fed cereal grain with hay or straw, either daily or two or three times a week. However, some respondents fed grain only or roughage only, such that the percentage of roughage in diets ranged from 0% to 100%. Ewes were most frequently separated into age groups for feeding, and shy feeders were only removed by 25% of respondents. Although generally the reported reproductive rate was high, wide variation indicates potential for improvement. Best practice management for containment remains unclear and requires further research given the diverse practices used. Veterinary practitioners should be aware that some of the practices used may contribute to reduced productivity or health issues in ewes.

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Characterisation of Shy-feeding and Feeding lambs in the first week in a feedlot

Cited by 17 publications

References 31 publications

Individual characteristics in early life relate to variability in weaning age, feeding behavior, and weight gain of dairy calves automatically weaned based on solid feed intake

Individual characteristics in early life relate to variability in weaning age, feeding behavior, and weight gain of dairy calves automatically weaned based on solid feed intake

Review: Individual variability in feeding behaviour of domesticated ruminants

A survey of producer practices and reproductive performance of containment and supplementary fed ewes

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