Subjective methods of quantifying temperament in heifers are indicative of physiological stress

Parham, Jamie T.; Blevins, Sarah; Tanner, Amy E.; Wahlberg, Mark L.; Swecker, William S.; Lewis, Ronald M.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2020.105197

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Finally, negative correlations existed for both IPS and GPS with NEFA concentrations ( P < 0.01). These values were consistent with correlations of these same objective measures with CS, ES, and EV previously reported by Parham et al (2021) . Table 2 also includes the average value for each measurement throughout the study.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This study builds on previous work evaluating temperament in heifers shortly after weaning when confined in a squeeze chute ( Parham et al, 2019a , 2019b , 2021 ). Across 3 consecutive years, 120 commercial Bos taurus (75% Angus or more) spring-born heifer calves ( n = 40 per year) were reared at the Virginia Tech Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Steeles Tavern, Virginia, USA with their respective dams until weaning (185 ± 11 d in age).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Common methods proposed to quantify temperament are based on behavior when cattle are restrained in (chute score [ CS ; Tulloh, 1961 ]) and exiting from (exit score [ ES ; BIF Guidelines, 2002 ]; exit velocity [ EV ; Burrow et al, 1988 ]) the chute. CS and ES can be quickly and reliably assessed regardless of the assessors’ prior experience ( Parham et al, 2019a ), and are correlated with objective measurements of stress ( Parham et al, 2021 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Cattle acclimate more substantially to repeated handling when confined individually in a pen than when assessed as a group

Parham

Tanner

Blevins

et al. 2022

Journal of Animal Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Chute and exit score are common subjective methods used to evaluate temperament in cattle production systems. A pen test, which allows behavior to be observed in a non-restrained setting, may also be an effective method to evaluate temperament by allowing more variation among animals to be expressed. The merit of pen scores in assisting producers in evaluating temperament is equivocal. The objectives of this study were to validate the usefulness of a pen score in delineating temperamental cattle and to determine whether these behavioral scores change under repeated and routine management. Over three consecutive years, a factorial design of two measurement protocols [frequent (F), infrequent (IN)], and three recording periods was used. The F measurements were collected over three consecutive days, and IN measurements only on day one within a recording period. Each year, 20 mostly Angus commercial Bos taurus heifers were randomly assigned to each protocol. Behavior was measured using a chute score, exit score, and exit velocity. Body temperature and heart rate also were recorded. A fecal and blood sample were collected and analyzed for levels of various metabolites including glucose concentration and serum cortisol. Following routine handling, each heifers’ response to 30 s of exposure to a human stressor was recorded both individually and in groups of four. An individual (IPS) and group (GPS) pen score was assigned from 1 (docile) to 6 (aggressive). For all heifers, protocol, event, and their interaction, were compared on the first day of an event. For F heifers, event and day within event were instead used. Body weight was included as a covariate, with sire and year fitted as random effects. Reliability of IPS and GPS were determined using a kappa (K) coefficient. Both IPS and GPS were reliably assigned (K = 0.64 and 0.44 for IPS and GPS, respectively) and positively correlated with body temperature, heart rate, glucose, and serum cortisol (r = 0.28 to 0.37). Furthermore, F heifers acclimated to repeated handling in an individual pen setting (P < 0.05) while acclimation to handling within groups was not evident (P > 0.14). Individual pen score provides a reliable evaluation of temperament in a non-restrained setting that is indicative of an animal's response to stress and may be useful when attempting to make phenotypic selection decisions. However, temperamental heifers became calmer with repeated gentle handling.

show abstract

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Cattle acclimate more substantially to repeated handling when confined individually in a pen than when assessed as a group

Parham

Tanner

Blevins

et al. 2022

Journal of Animal Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A wider variation of the parameter within the age group is reported with reference to the younger cows (Table 1). In most of the farms observed by me where the first-calf cows are being accus- Parham et al (2021), who also confirms that the temperament of beef cattle may be reliably evaluated by visual assessment of the behaviour in a chute or by combining this method with others which detect the behaviour not only during a manipulation. My observations clearly show that during the first two lactation periods, when the animals are respectively two and three years old, their temperament has higher scores than that of the cows which are evaluated at the age of seven and eight years (Figure 1).…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 55%

Study on the temperament of cows of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed

Karamfilov¹

2022

CZECH J ANIM SCI

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The present study examined the temperament of 699 cows of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed, reared in 14 farms in Bulgaria. It was carried out within the period 2017–2020. The animals subject to the study were between two and eight years old. The temperament was visually evaluated following a scoring system from 1 to 5. The assessment method involved the behavioural reaction of the cows upon manipulation, passing through a chute and fixation into a cattle crush. The temperament of cows reared in two different systems – intensive and semi-intensive farming was compared. The temperament of the Aberdeen Angus cows had an average rate of 2.74 ± 0.04. The cows which had frequent contact with people had a calmer temperament. The manner of rearing (P < 0.001) as well as the age group (P < 0.001) had a significant influence on the parameter examined. The young animals were calmer and got accustomed to working in a crush more easily when they were reared together with cows of different ages.

show abstract

“…The search for proximate mechanisms underlying the associations between activity during handling and measures of animal productivity has found elevated basal cortisol and epinephrine (Fell et al, 1999;King et al, 2006;Petherick et al, 2009a;Burdick et al, 2011a,c;Cafe et al, 2011a), higher basal glucose, lactate (Petherick et al, 2009a;Boles et al, 2015;Williams et al, 2019) and non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations in blood (Cafe et al, 2011a;Burdick Sanchez et al, 2016), higher basal temperature (Burdick et al, 2011c;Williams et al, 2019;Lees et al, 2020;Parham et al, 2021), and higher heart rate (Parham et al, 2021) in cattle with poor temperament. Few leukocyte variables differ between cattle with poor or good temperament (Fell et al, 1999;Hulbert et al, 2011).…”

Section: Associations With Baseline Values Of Physiological and Immunmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adrenergic Tone as an Intermediary in the Temperament Syndrome Associated With Flight Speed in Beef Cattle

Colditz

2021

Front. Anim. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The temperament of farm animals can influence their resilience to everyday variations within the managed production environment and has been under strong direct and indirect selection during the course of domestication. A prominent objective measure used for assessing temperament in beef cattle is the behavioral flight response to release from confinement in a crush or chute. This behavioral measure, termed flight speed (also known as escape velocity) is associated with physiological processes including body temperature, feeding behavior, growth rate, carcass composition, immune function, and health outcomes. This review examines the functional links between this suite of traits and adrenergic activity of the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenomedullary hormonal system. It is suggested that flight speed is the behavioral aspect of an underlying “flightiness” temperament syndrome, and that elevated adrenergic tone in animals with a high level of flightiness (i.e., flighty animals) tunes physiological activities toward a sustained “fight or flight” defense profile that reduces productivity and the capacity to flourish within the production environment. Nonetheless, despite a common influence of adrenergic tone on this suite of traits, variation in each trait is also influenced by other regulatory pathways and by the capacity of tissues to respond to a range of modulators in addition to adrenergic stimuli. It is suggested that tuning by adrenergic tone is an example of homeorhetic regulation that can help account for the persistent expression of behavioral and somatic traits associated with the flight speed temperament syndrome across the life of the animal. At a population level, temperament may modulate ecological fit within and across generations in the face of environmental variability and change. Associations of flight speed with the psychological affective state of the animal, and implications for welfare are also considered. The review will help advance understanding of the developmental biology and physiological regulation of temperament syndromes.

show abstract

Subjective methods of quantifying temperament in heifers are indicative of physiological stress

Cited by 8 publications

References 26 publications

Cattle acclimate more substantially to repeated handling when confined individually in a pen than when assessed as a group

Cattle acclimate more substantially to repeated handling when confined individually in a pen than when assessed as a group

Study on the temperament of cows of the Aberdeen Angus cattle breed

Adrenergic Tone as an Intermediary in the Temperament Syndrome Associated With Flight Speed in Beef Cattle

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About