Effects of social learning on foraging behaviour and live weight gain in first-season grazing calves |
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| Authors: | Anna K Hessle |
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| Institution: | 1. Wageningen UR Livestock Research, P.O. Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands;2. Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Medical Biology Centre, Queens University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK;3. Consultant in Animal Behaviour & Welfare, 110 Blackford Avenue, Edinburgh EH9 3HH, Scotland, UK;4. Behavioral Physiology, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, Groningen, The Netherlands;5. Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, P.O. Box 7068, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden;1. ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Animal Behaviour, Health and Welfare Unit, Universitaetstrasse 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland;2. Centre for proper housing of ruminants and pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FFSVO, Agroscope, Institute for Livestock Sciences ILS, Tänikon, CH-8356 Ettenhausen, Switzerland;1. Department of Veterinary Clinical and Animal Science, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark;2. Department of Animal Science, AU Foulum, Aarhus University, Tjele, Denmark;3. Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, Sweden;4. Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, N-1432 Ås, Norway;5. Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Kungsängen Research Center, SE-753 23 Uppsala, Sweden;1. Agronomy Faculty, Animal Science Department, Grass Production and Utilization on Grazing Systems, EEMAC, Ruta 3 km 363, Paysandú, CP 60000, Uruguay;2. Wageningen University, Department of Animal Science, The Netherlands;3. Formerly of The Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research, North Wyke EX20 2SB, UK;4. Agronomy Faculty, Biometric and Statistics Department, EEMAC, Paysandú, CP 60000, Uruguay;1. INRA, UMR1213 Herbivores, F-63122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle, France;2. Clermont Université, VetAgro Sup, UMR 1213 Herbivores, BP 10448, F-63000 Clermont-Ferrand, France;3. Istituto di Zootecnica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, I-29122 Piacenza, Italy |
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| Abstract: | When livestock are turned out to semi-natural grasslands, an effective onset of grazing is important both for animal productivity and for defoliation of the sward, which preserve the biodiversity of the vegetation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether foraging behaviour of naïve calves turned out to pasture was more intense, with a resulting diminished live weight loss, when experienced cattle accompanied them acting as social models. Twenty-six first-season grazing (FSG) dairy calves, allocated to groups with or without company of older, grazing-experienced steers, were turned out to semi-natural grasslands. Cattle behaviour was automatically recorded for 24 h during the first day on pasture and during 24 h after 1 month. Furthermore, the average live weight changes for the first day and for the first month on pasture were calculated. Calves turned out to pasture accompanied by grazing-experienced steers had similar grazing times (on average 42.7% of the day) to calves turned out to pasture in groups without older steers, but they had higher grazing activity during the first day on pasture (score 124 vs. 99, P = 0.005). Live weight changes were similar in calves kept with as in calves kept without company of grazing-experienced steers (?4.60 kg for the first day and ?0.30 kg day?1 for the first month on pasture). In conclusion, the company of grazing-experienced conspecifics resulted in higher grazing activity in naïve calves, but their time spent grazing and live weight gains were unmodified. Hence, in this limited study we found no major positive effects on production of using grazing-experienced cattle as company to FSG calves on semi-natural grasslands. |
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