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- Title
Behavioral patterns change when primiparous cows are mixed with multiparous cows.
- Authors
Iglesias, C.; Bach, A.; Devant, M.; Manteca, X.; Calsamiglia, S.; Ferret, A.
- Abstract
Forty six multiparous and 80 primiparous cows (PPC) were used over a 5-mo period to evaluate the effects of grouping strategy of PPC on behavioral patterns. On average, the number of lactating cows across the study was 100, evenly distributed according to DIM and production in 2 symmetrical pens, maintaining a ratio of cows to feeding places of 1.78. One pen was composed exclusively of PPC (PP) whereas the other (PM) included 30% PPC and 70% multiparous cows. All cows on each pen were observed twice daily (from 1100 to 1300 and from 1600 to 1730) by the same person from an observing platform every 10 d and the occurrence of drinking, fighting, licking, self grooming, ruminating, sleeping, and walking behaviors of PPC were recorded (total hours of observation was 59.5 h). A Poisson regression model including treatment, and DIM as fixed effects, day as a repeated measure, and cow as a random effect assuming an equal-correlation variance-covariance structure was used. The incidence rate ratios (IRR) were calculated to describe the probability of occurrence of a particular behavior in the PP group relative to the PM group ([incidence rate in PP] / [incidence rate in PM]). The incidences of fighting (0.95%), licking (0.95%), and self grooming (5.0%) behaviors were not different in PP than in PM. Also, proportion of observations corresponding to walking (3.7%) or sleeping (5.1%) activities were similar in both PP and PM cows. However, in the PM group, 1.8% of the total observations of PPC corresponded to drinking activities, whereas in the PP group the figure was 3.4%, which resulted in an IRR for the drinking behavior of 2.0 ± 0.56 (P < 0.05). Similarly, in the PM group, 43.8% of the total observations of PPC corresponded to ruminating activity, with an IRR for ruminating behavior of 1.16 ± 0.06 (P < 0.01). It is concluded that separating PPC from multiparous cows resulted in increased drinking and ruminating activities with no changes in self grooming or aversive behaviors.
- Publication
Journal of Animal Science, 2006, Vol 84, p303
- ISSN
0021-8812
- Publication type
Academic Journal