Characterising the emotional reactivity of cows to understand and predict their stress reactions to the slaughter procedure

Bourguet, Cécile; Deiss, Véronique; Gobert, Mylène; Durand, Denys; Boissy, Alain; Terlouw, Claudia

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2010.03.008

Cited by 60 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Both noise and handling or forcing animals up in a race is a major stressor for cattle Warner, 2008 andPearson et al, 1977) and increased stress responses (e.g. heart rate) have been found to have a positive correlation with the time taken for cattle to move into an abattoir (Bourguet et al, 2010). Therefore in the present study it is likely that longer exposure would result in amplified stress responses and therefore resistance to move down the race.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Qualitative Behavioural Assessment of Angus steers during pre-slaughter handling and relationship with temperament and physiological responses

Stockman

McGilchrist

Collins

et al. 2012

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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This study examined the behavioural expression of cattle immediately prior to slaughter through the process of Qualitative Behavioural Assessment (QBA), and compared these results to measurements of physiology and temperament. Twenty-eight Angus steers were filmed while in a funnel chute as they were being moved towards an abattoir killing box.Footage of cattle was shown in random order to 15 observers. Observers assessed the cattle using a qualitative approach based on Free Choice Profiling (FCP) methodology, which gives observers complete freedom to choose their own descriptive terms. Data were analysed with Generalised Procrustes Analysis (GPA). There was significant consensus (P < 0.001) amongst observers in terms of their assessment of the behavioural expression of the cattle.Two main dimensions were identified, explaining 58.8% and 9.2% of the variation between animals, respectively. Low values for GPA dimension 1 were associated with terms such as 'calm' and 'relaxed' and high values associated with terms such as 'nervous' and 'anxious'.Low values for GPA dimension 2 were associated with terms such as 'annoyed' and 'frightened' and high values associated with terms such as 'curious' and 'interested'. We found no significant correlations between the QBA scores and three temperament measures (taken at weaning). However, cattle slaughtered towards the end of the line (rs = 0.45, P = 0.016) and cattle with a greater plasma lactate concentration (measured at exsanguinations) (R 24 = 0.45, P = 0.020) were attributed higher GPA dimension 1 scores (i.e. more 'nervous'/'anxious'). The only animal with an ultimate muscle pH > 5.7 (classified as a 'dark cutter') had a low value for GPA dimension 2 (scored as relatively more 'annoyed'/'frightened'). The findings from this study suggest that QBA could contribute to assessing pre-slaughter animal handling, highlighting potential issues to be followed up with additional measures. The significant correlations between GPA dimension 1 with slaughter order and plasma lactate warrant further investigation, comparing behavioural expression with aspects of meat quality.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

Qualitative Behavioural Assessment of Angus steers during pre-slaughter handling and relationship with temperament and physiological responses

Stockman

McGilchrist

Collins

et al. 2012

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…The data of the behaviours expressed during the openfield tests were also submitted to Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using Unscrambler software (Unscrambler version 7.0, CAMO ASA, Trondheim, Norway) to reduce the number of original variables into principal components (PCs), explaining the variability among experimental groups and to detect relationships among the same variables (Bourguet et al, 2010;Budaev, 2010). At the first PCA analysis, some behaviours (central displacement, escape attempts, hops, rearing, grooming, digging, defecation and urination) were excluded from the data set because they did not contribute to explaining variance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Housing of growing rabbits in individual, bicellular and collective cages: fear level and behavioural patterns

Trocino

Majolini

Tazzoli

et al. 2013

Animal

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During growth (27 to 75 days of age), a total of 384 rabbits were kept in 72 individual cages, 48 bicellular cages (2 rabbits/cage) and 24 collective cages (9 rabbits/cage). To evaluate the effects of the housing system on the fear level and behavioural patterns of rabbits at the two ages (39 to 45 days and 66 to 73 days), a tonic immobility test and an open-field test were conducted and their behaviour was video recorded. In the tonic immobility test, the number of attempts to induce immobility (1.38) was lower, and the duration of immobility (47.8 s) was higher (0.05 , P , 0.01) in the rabbits housed in individual cages than in those kept in bicellular (1.72 attempts and 25.0 s of immobility) and collective cages (1.99 attempts and 25.0 s of immobility). During the open-field test, the rabbits from individual and bicellular cages showed higher latency (38.8 and 40.3 v. 27.0 s), a lower number of total (73.3 and 81.7 v. 91.9) and central displacements (3.6 and 2.8 v. 5.4) and a shorter running time (11.8 and 13.6 s v. 17.7 s) and the time biting the pen (5.5 and 9.1 s v. 28.2 s) compared with the rabbits kept in collective cages (0.05 , P , 0.001). During the 24-h video recording, the rabbits in individual and bicellular cages spent less time allogrooming (0.34% and 0.19% v. 1.44%), moving (0.74% and 0.60% v. 1.32%) and running (0.08% and 0.03% v. 0.21%) than the rabbits in the collective cages (0.01 , P , 0.001). The lowest numbers of alerts and hops were observed in the rabbits kept in bicellular cages. With increasing age, a lower number of rabbits were sensitive to the immobility test and more rabbits entered the pen spontaneously during the open-field test (P , 0.001). In conclusion, the rabbits in individual cages exhibited the highest fear level and incomplete behavioural patterns; the rabbits housed in collective cages showed the lowest fear levels and had the possibility of expressing a wider range of behaviour; and the rabbits in bicellular cages exhibited an inconsistent pattern of fear in the tonic immobility and open-field tests. Probably, these rabbits were in a less stressful condition compared with animals in individual cages because social contacts were allowed, even if freedom of movement was more limited.Keywords: housing system, fear level, behaviour, growing rabbits ImplicationsPeople are concerned about the welfare status of rabbits reared for meat production in small cages. This paper demonstrates that housing rabbits in individual or bicellular cages threatens their welfare by increasing their fear level and by limiting their possibility of expressing normal behaviour. In collective cages (9 rabbits/cage), social contacts and movements are permitted, and both fear response and behavioural patterns improve. The tonic immobility and the open-field tests can be used to compare the fear level of rabbits in different housing systems.

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“…The higher early post-mortem pH of FR bulls may be indicative of slower muscle metabolism immediately before and/or after slaughter. This may be indicative of lower stress (Terlouw et al, 2009;Bourguet et al, 2010), or of higher proportions of oxidative fibres in these animals (Gentry et al, 2004). The increased redness (a*) observed in muscles of outdoor raised cattle may be due to the increased proportions of oxidative muscle fibres induced by greater exercise (Vestergaard et al, 2000).…”

Section: Post-slaughter Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Podolian beef production on pasture and in confinement

Braghieri

Pacelli

Rosa

et al. 2011

Animal

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the effect of rearing system (confined (C) v. free ranging (FR)) and season (spring v. summer) was evaluated on behaviour, immune and blood parameters and beef production (experiment 1). From February to August 2008, the effect of rearing system was only evaluated on beef production (experiment 2). A total of 12 Podolian young bulls were used each year. They were slaughtered at 18 and 15 months of age in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Herbage mass and pasture composition were monitored during the 2 years. Pasture availability, in terms of herbage mass and composition, as well as its seasonal development, was similar in the 2 years. In the first experiment, FR animals spent more time walking ( P , 0.05), feeding ( P , 0.001) and standing ( P , 0.01) and showed a lower number of agonistic ( P , 0.05) and non-agonistic social interaction than C animals ( P , 0.01). Significant lower concentrations of serum urea nitrogen ( P , 0.001) and creatinine ( P , 0.10) in FR animals indicated a lower protein nutritional status due to inadequate protein availability at pasture. As a consequence, average daily gains ( P , 0.05), slaughter weight ( P , 0.05) and body condition score ( P , 0.01) were lower in grazing animals as compared with C bulls. Cellular immune responsiveness was higher in FR animals ( P , 0.05). Similarly, antibody titre to keyhole limpet hemocyanin was higher in FR bulls at the 2nd and 3rd month after antigen injection ( P , 0.05), whereas it tended to be higher at the 4th month ( P , 0.10). In both experiments, grazing negatively affected meat colour in terms of lightness. Eighteenmonth-old bulls also showed lower final weight, weight gain and body conditions when kept outdoor: a possible consequence of nutrient deficits, as suggested by the metabolic status of FR animals. The same animals, however, benefited from FR in terms of natural behaviour expression and immune responsiveness. When the experiment was replicated the subsequent year, on animals slaughtered at 15 months of age, no differences between the performances of FR and C animals were detected. The earlier slaughter age system was also proportionally less dependent on external inputs as grazing was not extended to the dry season when herbage mass availability was lower.

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Characterising the emotional reactivity of cows to understand and predict their stress reactions to the slaughter procedure

Cited by 60 publications

References 36 publications

Qualitative Behavioural Assessment of Angus steers during pre-slaughter handling and relationship with temperament and physiological responses

Qualitative Behavioural Assessment of Angus steers during pre-slaughter handling and relationship with temperament and physiological responses

Housing of growing rabbits in individual, bicellular and collective cages: fear level and behavioural patterns

Podolian beef production on pasture and in confinement

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