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Foundational Principles
Foundational Principles
• Primary Drivers: Most behavioral problems in cattle are rooted in poor management practices, confinement, and a lack of environmental enrichment.
• Primary Drivers: Most behavioral problems in cattle are rooted in poor management practices, confinement, and a lack of environmental enrichment.
• Key Categories: Problems typically involve breeding, aggression, nursing, or stereotypic behaviors.
• Key Categories: Problems typically involve breeding, aggression, nursing, or stereotypic behaviors.
Breeding-Related Problems
Breeding-Related Problems
• In Females:
• In Females:
◦ Silent Heat: Most common in heifers during their first cycle; physical signs like discharge and vulvar relaxation are absent.
◦ Silent Heat: Most common in heifers during their first cycle; physical signs like discharge and vulvar relaxation are absent.
◦ Nymphomania: Occurs in 4–6-year-old high-producing dairy cows; characterized by acting like a bull and excessive mounting. Usually associated with follicular cysts and treated with hormones.
◦ Nymphomania: Occurs in 4–6-year-old high-producing dairy cows; characterized by acting like a bull and excessive mounting. Usually associated with follicular cysts and treated with hormones.
• In Bulls:
• In Bulls:
◦ Masturbation: Does not affect fertility or aggression; can be reduced with increased exercise and stimulation.
◦ Masturbation: Does not affect fertility or aggression; can be reduced with increased exercise and stimulation.
◦ Poor Libido: Can be caused by disease (must be ruled out first), inexperience, frequent semen collection, or environmental stress. Treatment includes using teaser animals, allowing them to watch other bulls breed, or food rewards.
◦ Poor Libido: Can be caused by disease (must be ruled out first), inexperience, frequent semen collection, or environmental stress. Treatment includes using teaser animals, allowing them to watch other bulls breed, or food rewards.
• Buller Steer Syndrome:
• Buller Steer Syndrome:
◦ The Issue: Steers mounted by others (~3% of feedlot steers).
◦ The Issue: Steers mounted by others (~3% of feedlot steers).
◦ Causes: Crowding, dominance hierarchies, and anabolic steroid implants.
◦ Causes: Crowding, dominance hierarchies, and anabolic steroid implants.
◦ Solutions: Removing the buller, providing hiding places, or painting odiferous material on the buller's back.
◦ Solutions: Removing the buller, providing hiding places, or painting odiferous material on the buller's back.
Aggression
Aggression
• General Aggression: Stemming from fear, learning, or hormones; aggression between cows is often worse than between bulls.
• General Aggression: Stemming from fear, learning, or hormones; aggression between cows is often worse than between bulls.
◦ Methods: Horned cattle "bunt" or strike sides; polled cattle use their heads as battering rams.
◦ Methods: Horned cattle "bunt" or strike sides; polled cattle use their heads as battering rams.
• Aggression Toward People: Includes bunting, kicking, and crushing; dangerous animals should be culled.
• Aggression Toward People: Includes bunting, kicking, and crushing; dangerous animals should be culled.
• Aggression in Bulls: Unpredictable and dangerous; often worsened by inadequate socialization (hand-rearing). Dairy bulls are typically more aggressive than beef bulls.
• Aggression in Bulls: Unpredictable and dangerous; often worsened by inadequate socialization (hand-rearing). Dairy bulls are typically more aggressive than beef bulls.
• Kicking: Primarily a problem in beef cattle/heifers due to minimal handling; may require sedation or food rewards for calm behavior.
• Kicking: Primarily a problem in beef cattle/heifers due to minimal handling; may require sedation or food rewards for calm behavior.
Nursing-Related Behaviors:
Nursing-Related Behaviors:
• Intersuckling: Non-nutritional suckling on other calves or cows; can cause skin irritation or umbilical hernias.
• Intersuckling: Non-nutritional suckling on other calves or cows; can cause skin irritation or umbilical hernias.
◦ Triggers: Poor nutrition (lack of roughage) and weaning after 6 days of age.
◦ Triggers: Poor nutrition (lack of roughage) and weaning after 6 days of age.
◦ Management: Providing dry teats after feeding, using nose rings, or fitting muzzles (though motivation remains).
◦ Management: Providing dry teats after feeding, using nose rings, or fitting muzzles (though motivation remains).
• Cross-fostering: Bonding is based on visual cues and fetal fluids. Refusal is more common in dairy cows; techniques to assist include using amniotic fluid drapes, the skin of a dead calf, or blindfolding the cow.
• Cross-fostering: Bonding is based on visual cues and fetal fluids. Refusal is more common in dairy cows; techniques to assist include using amniotic fluid drapes, the skin of a dead calf, or blindfolding the cow.
Miscellaneous & Stereotypic Behaviors:
Miscellaneous & Stereotypic Behaviors:
• Reluctance to Enter Milking Parlor: Often caused by changes in feeding routines or previous negative experiences like electric shocks, mastitis, or punishment.
• Reluctance to Enter Milking Parlor: Often caused by changes in feeding routines or previous negative experiences like electric shocks, mastitis, or punishment.
• Food Throwing: Animals throw food on their backs; possibly a maintenance behavior to deter biting flies or related to total mixed ration diets.
• Food Throwing: Animals throw food on their backs; possibly a maintenance behavior to deter biting flies or related to total mixed ration diets.
• Tongue Rolling: A stereotypic behavior in veal cattle caused by confinement.
• Tongue Rolling: A stereotypic behavior in veal cattle caused by confinement.
◦ Stress Link: Calves performing this behavior may have fewer abomasal ulcers, suggesting it serves as a stress-reduction mechanism.
◦ Stress Link: Calves performing this behavior may have fewer abomasal ulcers, suggesting it serves as a stress-reduction mechanism.
◦ Management: Increasing stimulation, such as adding sucking teats, can reduce the behavior.
◦ Management: Increasing stimulation, such as adding sucking teats, can reduce the behavior.
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