Bovine behaviour

Question 1

Smell in cows

Answer 1

More sensitive than humans
Olfactory center in the brain is 20 X larger
Detect odor from 2 sites:
Nostrils
Traditional sense of smell
Vomeronasal organ (Jacobson’s Organ)

Question 2

Vomeronasal organ (Jacobson’s Organ)

Answer 2

Located in the roof of the mouth
Must do the Flehmen response (facial expression) in order to draw scent into the mouth and up the vomeronasal duct
Nerves connect to the brain
Including hypothalamus.
Important in recognition of:
Reproductive changes in individuals
Particularly steroid hormones urine (pheromones)
Role in both males and females

Question 3

Hearing in cows

Answer 3

Not as acute for detecting small sound frequency differences as humans but can hear a greater frequency range.
Cattle will often balk if there is noise coming from the area where you are moving them to
e.g. people, dogs, clanging chute noises

Question 4

Taste in cows

Answer 4

Strong rasp-like tongues used for grazing
Have 2-3 X more taste buds than humans
Cattle tend to avoid strong and bitter flowers and prefer fresh over older feed
Other than for energy, salt and water, most animals lack specific “nutritional wisdom” as to what they require in their diet

Question 5

Vision in cows

Answer 5

Can distinguish color well
Especially long wavelengths like yellow, orange and red
May balk at color changes as well as changes in contrast
Sensitive to sharp contrasts of light and dark
Grazing animals have a slit shaped pupil and a visual system that is designed to be most efficient at scanning at a distance while they are grazing
Eyes are positioned on the side of head so have 330 field of view
Blind spot directly behind their rear
When a group of animals move, they maintain visual contact with each other
Solid sided fences and alleyways leading to working areas are tolerated more than open sides which create alternating light and dark areas

Question 6

Cattle vision when handling

Answer 6

If you enter the blind spot the cattle will stop so that they can turn and look at you.
Cattle have a natural tendency to want to see the handler
They want to know where you are at all times.
Be aware of the blind spot when you are in close quarters.
Cattle may stop moving if cannot see you
If you enter it, you may get kicked!
Tend to move toward a lighted area
Will balk at very bright light such as sunrise or sunset

Question 7

Grazing behaviour in cows

Answer 7

Amount of time spent grazing depends on environmental conditions, quality and availability of feed, distance between water and feed.
Tend to graze most in early morning and evening
Prefer new green leaves
Avoid recently grazed areas
Avoid areas with fecal pats
Carry a long term memory of where the best grazing is and where poisonous plants are
Cattle moved to a totally new pasture take up to a year to adjust.
Herd oriented
Tend to graze together in small groups
Unless feed is scarce – then they scatter

Question 8

Signs of limited forage in cows

Answer 8

How are the animals grouped?
Individuals - limited grazing
How long are they grazing?
Long time:
Normal if lactating or selectively grazing a field with different specie
Are they grazing at midday?
Forage is limited if hot sunny day

Question 9

Resting behaviour in cows

Answer 9

Depends on environmental conditions, time spent ruminating and grazing, and on breed
Cows tend to rest and ruminate during the day and at night
So tend to graze in early morning and evening when they can see. Rest (lying down) during the day to avoid heat and predators.

Question 10

How cows lie down and stand up

Answer 10

Fold the forelimbs then the hind quarters go down.
To get up the hind quarters go up first then the front legs
Opposite of how horses get up.

Question 11

Signs of threat in bulls

Answer 11

Signs of threat includes
Lowering head, hind legs drawn forward, eyes and horns on object
Pawing
Snorting
Rubbing head, neck and horns (if present) on the ground

Question 12

What happens if you fall down around a bull

Answer 12

After charging and knocking a person down bulls (and cows) may continue to toss the victim, kneel on them, or continually smash them with their foreheads. Bulls do not tend to “lose interest”
Fractures
Goring (from horns)
Bruising
Not very good prognosis for the victim….

Question 13

Dairy breed

Answer 13

Dairy breeds like Jersey and Holstein bulls should be considered dangerous
Powerful, unpredictable, and tend not to be selected for gentle temperament

Question 14

Cows behaviour depends on

Answer 14

Dairy heifers and cows tend to be much more docile than beef cows
Depends on:
Frequency of handling
Breeds that are often gentle:
Hereford
Simmental
HANDLER!!!

Question 15

Why are beef cattle more aggressive

Answer 15

Beef cattle that are raised on the range without much human interaction tend to be more apprehensive and can become aggressive
Heredity “Mothering Ability”
Especially at time of calfing
NEVER position yourself between cow and calf
Always have calf closest to dam

Question 16

Calves

Answer 16

Inquisitive creatures
Get up to observe strangers or new events
Stretching head or neck towards someone new approaching is the usual posture

Question 17

Natural breeding of cows

Answer 17

Females tend to form a sexually active group
Stays in site of bull(s)
Mount one another (attracts bull)
The cow that stands to be mounted is likely to be in heat
Mucous vaginal discharge
Bull approaches cow/heifer
Chin rests on back
Licks and sniffs perineal region
Tries to mount
Immobility by female = acceptable
Often serves cow/heifer several times
Intromission is SHORT in cattle
Seconds

Question 18

Parturition of cows

Answer 18

If space available
Cows/heifers separate from herd
Seek a sheltered site
Stand up more
Starts about 3 d. before calving
Dramatically increases in hours before calving
Lie in semi sternal recumbency to calve

Question 19

First stage of labour in cows

Answer 19

Signs as parturition
Mucous discharge from vagina

Question 20

Second stage of labour in cow

Answer 20

Breaking of water bag to expulsion of calf
Lasts 1-2 h
Cows usually calve lying down

Question 21

Third stage of labour

Answer 21

Expulsion of placenta
Usually occurs 4-12h. after birth

Question 22

After calving heifer do what

Answer 22

After calving, cow stands
Licks calf vigorously
Important for:
Bonding
Breathing
Keeping warm
Eats placenta
Some cows will also clean up amniotic fluid

Question 23

How to capture and restrain a calve

Answer 23

Approach slowly and deliberately with hands slightly away from the body
Movement of hands and arms should be kept to a minimum
Move them into a corner and restrain with one arm under the jaw and the other hand should grab the tail.
Depending on the handler, and the size of the calf, it can be “flanked” and placed in lateral recumbency

Question 24

What causes most behaviour issues in cattle

Answer 24

Most behavioral problems in cattle involve breeding or aggression and are related to poor management practices, confinement, and lack of enrichment

Question 25

Non nutritional sucking in calves

Answer 25

Seen in orphaned calves
Calves that are weaned within 6 days
Suck other calves, cows, appendages, skin tags, themselves, or inanimate objects
Ears, tails, mouth, udder, scrotum, etc.
Can lead to skin irritation and even umbilical hernias, blamed for some cases of mastitis in heifers
Poor nutrition may influence development of this behavior
Non-nutritional sucking occurs mostly after feeding
Then rapidly wanes
Penning or isolating sucking calves does not solve the problem; the calf continues to suck on buckets or self-sucks

Question 26

How to help non nutritional sucking in calves

Answer 26

Devices that may prevent sucking but do not reduce the motivation to do so, and calf welfare should be considered
Place a serrated nose ring in the sucking calf
Applying repellent materials to sucked areas
Fitting a muzzle
Redirecting
Providing dry teats next to feeding area
Better solution because calf can still meet its need to suck

Question 27

Cross fostering in cows

Answer 27

Dam dies, orphan (beef) calf needs a new mum
Bonding between the cow and calf is based on fetal fluid and visual cues
Cover the fostered calf with drapes soaked with amniotic fluid
Cover the fostered calf with the skin of the cow’s own dead calf
Blindfolding/restraining the cow
Works best when dam has recently calved
Experienced mums
Disease risks?

Question 28

Silent heat in cows

Answer 28

Physical signs of heat (e.g. vaginal discharge, vulvar relaxation, and behavioral signs) are minimal
More frequent observation helps detect ‘silent’ heat
Particularly a dairy cow problem:
Bred by AI
Selected for high lactation, put less effort into reproduction

Question 29

Nymphomania in bovine is and treatment

Answer 29

Increased sexual behavior occurs mainly in high-producing dairy cows that are 4–6 years old and have had calves
Mount other cows excessively, act like bulls, and have a significant decrease in milk production
In most cases nymphomania is associated with follicular cysts on their ovary
Treatment
Ultrasound or rectal palpation to feel any cysts
Drain fluid in the cyst with a fine needle
Use hormones

Question 30

Poor libido in bovine is and are caused by

Answer 30

Many diseases of bulls can lead to poor libido;
The first step in managing impotence is excluding and/or treating disease
Bulls refuse to mount, avoid estrous cows, and fail to develop an erection
Behavioral Causes
Inexperience in young bulls that attempt breeding an aggressive cow
Bulls that are used too frequently for semen collection
Stress of a new environment
Using a new teaser bull or, preferably, a teaser cow in estrus can stimulate these bulls to breed
Allowing the bull to watch other bulls mounting may increase arousal

Question 31

Masturbation in bovine

Answer 31

Bull has a partial erection, arches its back, and performs pelvic thrusts.
Does not lead to increased aggression or reduced fertility, therefore no treatment is needed.
Increases in exercise and stimulation can reduce the frequency.

Question 32

Buller steer

Answer 32

Steers mounted frequently by others
Seen in ~3% of feedlot steers
Related to both hormonal and crowding factors
Synthetic estrogen implants increase frequency
May be related to dominance; the more dominant and aggressive steers mount others.
Erection and intromission rarely occur.
Both the buller and the mounting steer may grow poorly because of stress and increased activity
Removing the buller is the most common solution.
Groups of bullers show little buller behaviour

Question 33

Agression in bulls

Answer 33

Well known for unpredictable aggression
Bulls may mount others, and these may respond with aggression
Fights can end with serious injuries or death, especially if the bulls are horned.
Dairy bulls are commonly more aggressive (and also larger and heavier) than beef bulls.
May paw and dig in the ground, and horned bulls may kneel on the front legs and dig using their horns

Question 34

Why are hand reared bulls more aggressive

Answer 34

Inadequate socialization?
In grazing animals, an orphan male raised away from its own species may be imprinted to people and think he is a person

Question 35

Kicking in bovine

Answer 35

Most common in beef heifers; temperament traits becoming more prevalent in breeding programs

Question 36

Reluctance to enter the milking parlour

Answer 36

Previous negative experience
mastitis, aberrant electric shock, rough handling
Providing more grain feeding, a calm environment, and possibly a preferred cow “mate” can help minimize problems

Question 37

Food throwing in bovine

Answer 37

Cow grabs food with its mouth and throws it on its back
More common in cattle fed TMR (total mixed ration)
May reduce biting insects where tails have been docked

Question 38

Tongue rolling in bovine

Answer 38

Occurs mainly in veal cattle
Most likely a stereotypic behaviour resulting from confinement
The calf flicks its tongue outside and rolls it back inside the mouth, follows by swallowing saliva
Does decrease abomasal ulcers
May indicate that the behaviour reduces stress
Increasing stimulation (adding sucking teats) may reduce incidence of this behaviour

Question 39

Illness or disease in cows

Answer 39

Healthy cattle appear alert, stretch on rising
Often vocalize in response to pain or stress
Unwell cattle often show little interest in their environment, have dull eyes, sluggish movement, poor grooming, poor appetite
Other signs specific to their problem

Question 40

Risks for human injury while handling bovine

Answer 40

Less discriminating than horses regarding what or whom they step on or run over
Kicking
Crush injuries
Goring or other injury from a bull

Question 41

Risk for animal injury while handling bovine

Answer 41

Injuries from capture/restraint equipment or housing
Nail, broken boards, wire
Attempts to escape chutes or fenced areas
Transportation

Question 42

Head catch or squeeze chute

Answer 42

Manual vs Hydraulic
Precise timing required to close the chute before the shoulders get through the opening.
Can also use a rope halter to augment restraint of the head
Nose tongs can be used or your fingers placed inside the nostrils

Question 43

How to move cattle and what to avoid

Answer 43

Generally, cattle are not directly approachable for haltering and leading
Easier to drive into pens, alleyways and chutes
Handlers have an incredible influence!
Cattle are usually less spooky than horses about strange surroundings, but may still balk and bolt at distractions:
Moving through an open gate of a holding corral
Shadows
Light area to dark area
Coat hanging on a post
Flies

Question 44

Difficult situations in handling cows

Answer 44

People with lower cattle handling skills
Activity around busy locations e.g. slaughter plants, truck loading ramps,
Very wild cattle
Poorly designed chutes
Outside perimeter fences on single file races and crowd pens that are on the opposite side of the open fence where a skilled handler works the flight zone

Question 45

Low stress handling in cow

Answer 45

Use rigid materials that do not flap.
Solid sides are especially recommended for difficult situations
Crowd gates should be solid

Question 46

The flight zone in cows

Answer 46

The animal’s “personal space”.
The size of the flight zone varies depending on the tameness or wildness of the livestock
When a person enters the flight zone the animals move away.
The flight zone is bigger when approaching from the head
The flight zone of extensively raised cows may be as much as 50 m. whereas the flight zone of feedlot cattle may be 2 to 5 m.
The flight zone slowly diminishes when animals receive frequent, gentle handling

Question 47

How to use the flight zone to your advantage

Answer 47

Where you stand influences the direction of movement
To start moving, stand in there flight zone
Stop, if moving puts you just out of there flight zone

Question 48

Moving cattle in chutes

Answer 48

Bring up cattle in small groups
Fill the crowd pen when the chute is nearly empty
Do not use the crowding pen as a holding pen
The crowding gate is not for pushing cattle
In a chute, walking along the chute from head to tail (front to back) will make them move forward
Move paddles slowly

Question 49

Different things to use in bovine handling

Answer 49

Halter
Tail Jack
Corral or other enclosure
Handling Systems
Low Stress Handling
Crowding tubs
Alleys (single animal width)
Bud Box
Lariat
Portable corrals,etc