Reproductive and Maternal Behavior of Livestock

Chenoweth, Peter J.; Landaeta-Hernández, Antonio; Flöercke, Cornelia

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-394586-0.00005-6

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 170 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In nature, individuals interact among them influencing their reproductive physiology [39]. The biostimulation method 'male effect' has been a valuable management tool exploited in small ruminants [19,40,41] and swine [42] husbandry to stimulate the onset of puberty and to reduce the postpartum period. In cattle, 'male effect' has received little ductive activity [43], the literature is not consistent [6,42], and therefore this practice has not yet been implemented as a common farm routine.…”

Section: Social Interaction Seems Not Influencing Reproductive Physiology In Farm Female Doementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Biostimulation Methods based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction

Villamayor¹,

Gullón²,

Yáñez³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biostimulation is an animal management practice that helps improve reproductive parameters by modulating animal sensory systems. Chemical signals, mostly known as pheromones, have a great potential in this regard. This study was conducted to determine the influence of short-term female rabbit exposure to different conditions, mainly pheromone-mediated, on reproductive parameters of inseminated does. Groups of 60 females/each were exposed to 1) female urine, 2) male urine, 3) seminal plasma and 4) female-female interaction, just before artificial insemination, and compared to isolated females controls (female-female separated). The following reproductive parameters were analyzed for each group: receptivity (vulvar color), fertility (calving rate), prolificacy and number of born alive and dead kits &frasl; litter. Our results showed that the biostimulation methods employed in this experiment did not significantly improve any of the analyzed parameters. However, female doe exposure to urine, especially to male urine, slightly increased fertility levels when compared to the rest of the experimental conditions. Female-female interaction before artificial insemination, which is a common practice in rabbit farms, did not have any effect, which suggests its removal to avoid unnecessary animal management and time cost. On the other hand, fertility ranges were lower for animals with pale vulvar color whereas no differences were noticed among the other three colours which measure receptivity (pink, red, purple), thus suggesting that these three colours could be grouped together. Additionally, equine chorionic gonadotropin injection could be replaced with various biostimulation methods, therefore reducing or replacing current hormonal treatments, and contributing to animal welfare and to a natural image of animal production.

show abstract

Section: Social Interaction Seems Not Influencing Reproductive Physiology In Farm Female Doementioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Biostimulation Methods based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction

Villamayor¹,

Gullón²,

Yáñez³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In nature, individuals interact among them influencing their reproductive physiology [40]. The biostimulation method 'male effect' has been a valuable management tool exploited in small ruminants [19,41,42] and swine [43] husbandry to stimulate the onset of puberty and to reduce the postpartum period. In cattle, 'male effect' has received little attention, and even though bull-cow interaction has proved to influence female reproductive activity [44], the literature is not consistent [6,43], and therefore, this practice has not yet been implemented as a common farm routine.…”

Section: Social Interaction Seems Not Influencing Reproductive Physio...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of Biostimulation Methods Based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction

Villamayor

Gullón²,

Yáñez³

et al. 2022

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biostimulation is an animal management practice that helps improve reproductive parameters by modulating animal sensory systems. Chemical signals, mostly known as pheromones, have a great potential in this regard. This study was conducted to determine the influence of short-term female rabbit exposure to different conditions, mainly pheromone-mediated, on reproductive parameters of inseminated does. Groups of 60 females/each were exposed to (1) female urine, (2) male urine, (3) seminal plasma and (4) female–female (F–F) separated, just before artificial insemination, and compared to a ‘golden method’ female–female interaction. The following reproductive parameters were analyzed for each group: receptivity (vulvar color), fertility (kindling rate), prolificacy and number of born alive and dead kits/litter. Our results showed that the biostimulation methods employed in this experiment did not significantly improve any of the analyzed parameters. However, female doe exposure to urine, especially to male urine, showed no significant higher fertility values (95.4%) when compared to the rest of the experimental conditions (on average 92.4%). Female–female interaction before artificial insemination, which is a common practice in rabbit farms, showed similar results as not establishing social interaction (F–F separated), which suggests that F–F interaction could be replaced by F–F separated, therefore avoiding unnecessary animal management and time cost. On the other hand, fertility ranges were lower for animals with a pale vulvar color whereas no differences were noticed among the other three colors which measure receptivity (pink, red, purple), thus suggesting that these three colors could be grouped together. Future studies should aim at determining potential chemical cues/pheromones released through bodily secretions that influence reproduction in rabbits, therefore contributing to animal welfare and to a natural image of animal production.

show abstract

“…Cows in free-ranging herds are often reported to isolate from the herd and create a nesting site several hours before calving [ 5 ]. This has been reported both via subjective observation and by objective assessment of contacts measured via ultra-high frequency (UHF) proximity loggers [ 21 ].…”

Section: Prepartum Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, the inclination of other cows to care for alien calves (‘crèching’) has also been anecdotally included in the definition of maternal behavior. Immediately prior, during and post-calving, other maternal behavioral patterns may include separation behavior, shelter seeking, nest building, parturition itself, cleaning the neonate, allowing suckling, and importantly; establishment of the cow-calf bond [ 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maternal Behavior in Beef Cattle: The Physiology, Assessment and Future Directions—A Review

Nevard

Pant

Broster

et al. 2022

Veterinary Sciences

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bovine maternal behavior is known to be influenced by a variety of factors including hormonal mediation, breed, age, parity, host genetics and general management practices. Following centuries of varying levels of domestication processes, the behavior of the bovine cow has altered from that of her original wild ungulate ancestors, although many maternal instincts have remained unchanged. The influence of maternal behavior on calf health and performance is of interest to cow-calf beef production operations, as in most instances, the cow is solely responsible for rearing the calf until weaning. However, investigating the magnitude of this influence is challenging, in part because objective measurement of behavioral traits is difficult, particularly in extensive settings. In recent years, while a number of remote monitoring devices have been developed that afford opportunities for objective measurement of behavioral traits in livestock, characterization of physiological mechanisms that underlie superior maternal behavior, including identification of potential biomarkers remains elusive in cattle. Hormonal profiles during the periparturient period have been shown to influence behavioral patterns in both current and future generations in other mammalian species and may provide insights into the physiology of bovine maternal behavior. Therefore, the aim of this review is to describe general characteristics of bovine maternal behavior and the factors known to influence it, including hormonal drivers, through which cross-reference to other species is made. Current methods of measuring and assessing behavior that may also be applicable to most production settings have also been reviewed. At present, there is no known hormonal assay that can be used to measure and/or reliably predict bovine maternal behavior post-calving or across generations. Being able to objectively assess superior maternal behavior, whether that be through remote monitoring, hormonal profiling or indirectly through measuring calf performance will be beneficial to livestock industries in the future.

show abstract

Reproductive and Maternal Behavior of Livestock

Cited by 4 publications

References 170 publications

Assessment of Biostimulation Methods based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction

Assessment of Biostimulation Methods based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction

Assessment of Biostimulation Methods Based on Chemical Communication in Female Doe Reproduction

Maternal Behavior in Beef Cattle: The Physiology, Assessment and Future Directions—A Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About