Temperamental cattle acclimate more substantially to repeated handling

Parham, Jamie T.; Tanner, Amy E.; Barkley, Katharine; Pullen, Lyla; Wahlberg, Mark L.; Swecker, William S.; Lewis, Ronald M.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2019.01.001

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Recently, there has been some conjecture regarding what aspects of temperament FS and CS are evaluating [12,30,[52][53][54]. MacKay et al [54] suggested that CS evaluate cattle's response to handling, whereas FS may provide a measure of fearfulness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Temperament on Body Temperature Response to Handling in Angus Cattle

Lees

Salvin

Colditz

et al. 2020

Animals

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Previous studies have indicated that cattle with more excitable temperaments exhibit an increased stress response. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between temperament traits, handling, and stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) in beef cattle. Rectal temperatures (TREC, °C) of 60 purebred Angus cattle (30 heifers, 30 steers; 235.2 ± 5.11 kg) were recorded at 20 s intervals from 30 min prior to handling until two hours post handling. All cattle were exposed to a standardized handling procedure consisting of (i) being restrained in a weighing box for 30 s; (ii) being held within the crush for 30 s; and then (iii) being restrained in a head bail for 60 s. Cattle temperaments were evaluated via three traits: (1) agitometer score (AG); (2) crush score (CS); and (3) flight speed (FS) during the handling procedure. Agitometer scores and FS measures were used to describe an AG category (AGCAT) and an FS category (FSCAT) that were used to classify animals into three temperament categories: 1, calm; 2, intermediate; and 3, temperamental. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to evaluate the associations between (i) AG, CS, FS, and TREC 30 min prior to entry into the weighing box (T-30) and then at 1 min intervals between time of entry into the weighing box (T0) until 10 min post-weighing (T10); and (ii) the relationship between AG, CS, and FS. The relationship between TREC and temperament traits over the 2.5 h were modeled by using a first-order autoregressive repeated measures model. Flight speed had strong to moderate associations with TREC at T-30 (r ≥ 0.37; p ≤ 0.006) and between T0 and T10 (r ≥ 0.36; p ≤ 0.01). There were moderate associations amongst TREC between T0 and T10 and CS (r ≥ 0.31; p ≤ 0.01). A weak relationship existed with CS (r = 0.16; p = 0.16). There were no associations between AG and TREC at T-30 (r ≥ −0.15; p = 0.84) or between T0 and T10 (r ≤ 0.04; p ≥ 0.4). Rectal temperature, irrespective of sex and temperament traits, was influenced by time (p < 0.0001), and maximum TREC (39.3 ± 0.04 °C) occurred between 4 and 5.7 min after entry into the weighing box. In addition, CS (p = 0.007) influenced TREC in these cattle. There were also time × temperament trait × sex interactions with the CS (p = 0.0003) and FSCAT (p = 0.043) categories; however, time × temperament trait interactions were not statistically significant. Results from this study suggest that cattle with excitable temperaments, as evaluated by FS and CS, have a greater increase in TREC. In addition, these results suggest that a relationship exists between basal TREC and FS and CS. Together, these results highlight that temperament, as assessed by FS and CS, influences both basal TREC and the peak temperature recorded following handling but does not influence the magnitude of change in TREC post handling.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Temperament on Body Temperature Response to Handling in Angus Cattle

Lees

Salvin

Colditz

et al. 2020

Animals

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“…Grandin [30] reported a positive correlation between docility test and chute test using Limousin cattle. A positive genetic correlation between race score and crush score (0.530) was detected by Turner et al [31] in Bos [32] found the exit score and exit velocity capture the same temperament behavior based on a high genetic correlation (0.81). A moderate genetic correlation between flight speed and chute test score has been reported by previous studies [28,33].…”

Section: Temperament Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 86%

Deciphering cattle temperament measures derived from a four-platform standing scale using genetic factor analytic modeling

Hyeong-keun

Morota

Celestino

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: The animal's reaction to human handling, also known as temperament, is critical for work safety, productivity, and welfare. Subjective phenotyping methods, such as docility score, have been traditionally used in cattle production as a means for improving the safety, productivity, and welfare of animals. Even so, subjective scales rely on the evaluator's knowledge and interpretation of temperament, which may require substantial experience. With that being said, selection based on such subjective scores may not precisely impact temperament preferences in cattle.Results: We investigated the statistical relationships among subjective methods including docility score (DS), temperament score (TS), 12 qualitative behavior assessment (QBA) attributes along with a movement-based objective method (four-platform standing scale, FPSS) including the standard deviation of total weight on FPSS over time (SSD) and coefficient of variation of SSD (CVSSD) using 1,528 calves at weaning age. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) identified two underlying latent variables contribute to TS and 12 QBA attributes that were named difficult and easy according to their characteristics. As DS is evaluated under constraint and other measures are not, inclusion of DS in EFA of subjective methods was not a good fit.A Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis inferred the factor scores of difficult and easy using the latent structure discovered in EFA. This was followed by fitting a pedigree-based Bayesian multi-trait model using difficult, easy, DS, SSD, and CVSSD to characterize the genetic interrelationships between subjective and FPSS measures. The estimates of heritability range from 0.17 to 0.4 with the posterior standard deviation averaging 0.06. The factors of difficult and easy exhibited a large negative genetic correlation of -0.92. DS displayed a moderate genetic correlation with difficult (0.36), easy (-0.31), SSD (0.42), and CVSSD (0.34).FPSS and DS were found to have a moderate genetic correlation with difficult (0.35 to 0.41) and easy (-0.39 to -0.31), indicating selection could be performed with either and have similar outcomes.Conclusions: The application of genetic factor analytic model for temperament measures provided a new approach to unravel the complexity of animal behaviors. In summary, we contend that FPSS measures could increase the efficiency of genetic selection by providing automatic, objective, and consistent phenotyping measures with a lower cost, and may potentially become an alternative of DS which has been widely used in beef production.3

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“…Some authors have found individual-level differences within a same breed [ 36 ], while others underline the effect of breed on temperament (i.e., [ 37 ]) and others have not (i.e., [ 38 ]). In any case, other variables such as the production system, human related characteristics and skills, and frequency of handling, can all have an influence on temperament traits beyond breed effects [ 6 , 39 , 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting Cattle Temperament in Beef Cow-Calf Systems: Insights from Farmers’ Perceptions about an Autochthonous Breed

Estévez-Moreno

Lama

Villarroel

et al. 2021

Animals

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Understanding temperament is an important part of cattle production since undesirable temperament may cause serious problems associated with aggression, maternal care, and human safety. However, little is known about how farmers define or assess temperament, especially in autochthonous cattle breeds. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions of farmers about the temperament of the Pyrenean cattle breed with special attention to beef cow-calf systems in Spain. The methodology used to obtain the information was focus group discussions (FGD). Farmers defined temperament as a behavioural response to challenging situations imposed by human handling. Specific terms used were related to active or passive reactions to fear (e.g., “strong”, “aggressive”, “nervous”, “fearful”). The speed of response to stimuli was also important. Female temperament was thought to become more docile with age while bull temperament was more variable. Maternal aggressiveness was highlighted as a potential human safety problem, but also desirable in an extensively bred animal who may need to defend calves against predators. Anatomical characteristics were seen as unreliable predictors of temperament, while behavioural indicators were more widely used, such as “alertness”, which was a general trait of the breed, and “gaze”, which, when associated with an alert expression, suggests a potential threat. Sensory acuity, such as sight and smell, were thought to be related with temperament in some FGDs but there was no overall agreement as to whether different behavioural responses were due to differences in sensory acuity. The results from the study could be useful during training programs or in the development of new genetic selection schemes and evaluation protocols involving cattle temperament.

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Temperamental cattle acclimate more substantially to repeated handling

Cited by 18 publications

References 29 publications

The Influence of Temperament on Body Temperature Response to Handling in Angus Cattle

The Influence of Temperament on Body Temperature Response to Handling in Angus Cattle

Deciphering cattle temperament measures derived from a four-platform standing scale using genetic factor analytic modeling

Revisiting Cattle Temperament in Beef Cow-Calf Systems: Insights from Farmers’ Perceptions about an Autochthonous Breed

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