Behavior Flashcards
How do pigs live in nature?
In small groups
Stages of swine production:
Farrowing, nursery, grower, finisher
Some barns are wean-finish
Innate behavior of pigs:
Curious
If familiar with people, will likely come to you
Chew at boots/coveralls
Food motivated
can become affectionate with caretakers
Pig response when agitated:
grunt/bark
Pig response when frightened/restrained:
Squeal loudly
Pigs have a natural urge to ______________.
ESCAPE
will look for gaps, very strong
Piglets fight for _____________.
teat order; social hierarchy
____________ is a sign of dominance in piglets.
Mounting
How do we manage tail biters in piglets?
Figure out why its happening. Stress v boredom
Pig behavior in response to being cold:
Pile up
Pig response to being comfortable (temperature wise)
Lying spread out
Pig response to being too hot
Panting, dirty, lie in cooler/wetter areas
Innate behaviors of cattle:
Nursing, standing
body positions- rest, intense weather, grazing
Shelter seeking
learned behaviors of cattle:
locations of water, feed, mineral
milking procedures
electric fences
response to humans/facilities
Cattle Smell:
Better than humans, not as good as dogs
Can detect odors up to 1 mi away
Generally do not like the smell of blood
Critical temperature for adult bovine:
-9ºF
Temperature at which bovine RR increases:
70ºF
Temperature at which cattle decrease intake to lower heat produced by metabolism
77ºF
Cattle Bite Habits:
50-70 bites/min; 1 chew for every 3 bites
Cattle grazing times:
8-9 hr/day
Cattle rumination time:
6-10 hrs/day
Factors that decrease time spent grazing by cattle:
Flies
Predators
Drought/Lack of Food
Feedlot eating patterns:
Mainly diurnal
Total eating time ~5hr
eat 10-14 times/day
How many cows should be eating OR chewing their cud at any given point on a dairy?
50%
Dairy eating time:
4.5 hrs
Dairy chewing cud time:
7.5 hrs
How much does pregnancy increase water consumptionin cows:
Doubles
Dairy cow water intake:
30-50 gal/day
Distance of walking by cattle is determined by which two factors:
Location of water and soil
Density of nutrients in forage
What is up last and down first when a cow is rising and laying down?
The head
Maternal Behavior of cows:
Licking Calf
Eats placenta
Defensive of Calf
Dystocia or heifer may not follow these behaviors
“Dark Cutters”
A result of pre-harvest stress depleting energy stores in the muscle
Results in dark, firm, dry meat and lower carcass price
Stress, Pain, and Illness cause decreases in what bovine behaviors:
Eating
Drinking
Ruminating
Ambulating
Reproducing
Maternal Care
Grooming
Sheep reaction to alarm:
Form tight bunch & push themselves to the middle
Goat reaction to alarm:
form a thin line
Alarm behavior in goats:
Sneezing
Alarm behavior in sheep:
Stomp and Snort
Eating behavior difference between sheep and goats
Sheep graze
Goats browse
Grazing behavior of sheep & the importance:
Tend to graze close to manure piles
Increases parasite intake
Also graze differently than cattle- can rotate pasture between these species
Goat grooming:
Goats lick/clean almost every part of their body
Sick animals will not groom effectively
