Maternal, Neonatal, and Play Behaviour Flashcards
What is special about the fetal environmental of precocial neonates?
Have already been exposed to sensory stimulation prior to birth
In embryonic chicks, what happens at 4 days of incubated age? Just before hatching?
Movements of head, body, wings, and limbs begin as jerky actions
Before hatching, movements become smooth and coordinated
How do gross fetal actions occur? E.g.
Result of groups of complex fetal movements quickly following one another
e.g. jaw movements in fetal lambs 40d pre-partum begins slow, becoming rapid closer to parturition. Related to vigorous sucking activity in the fetus.
What are the principle components of righting behaviour? When does it occur?
1-2 days before birth
General activity, extension of carpal joints and digits towards maternal pelvis, elevation of head/neck, rotation of head towards pelvis, rotation of trunk,
Three stages of parturition
1: dilation of the cervix (part of latter pre-partum period) “labour”
2: expulsion/birth of fetus
3: passage of afterbirth or fetal membranes (extends into post-partum period)
General behaviour in late gestation (before first part of labour)
Generally little significance in animal’s behaviour until the onset of parturition itself is very close
Separate from group, select site for birth (sows build nests 1-3 days before)
Maintain lying posture at rest before birth, may cease to eat 1-2hrs before parturition
Advantages of parturition in isolation
Risk of interference by other females in the pre-parturient state is reduced
Provides best opportunity for developing a close mother-offspring bond
Pre-partum behaviour of sows
Restlessness, sow changes position every few minutes
Intermittent grunting, champing of the jaws, increased respiration rate
Phantom nest building behaviour
Signs 24h before parturition
Restless, change in position/disposition
Flank licking, tail swishing in beef
Interest in recently born young of other females
Common behaviours of dairy cows up to 6 weeks before parturition. Why?
Avoidance of social exchanges of butting and being butted
Cow less agile, less able to sustain social rank (rank order changes)
Tend to eat/drink when few other cows around
Stays on periphery of herd when grazing and lying
What is birth
Period of fetus expulsion, pain behaviour most evident, contractions are strong and frequent
How does fetus expulsion occur
Combination of voluntary and involuntary muscle contractions in the abdomen and uterus
Increases in number and recurs more regularly when second stage begins
Describe the third stage of labour
Post-partum period
Expulsion of placenta and grooming of the neonate
Expulsion happens fairly effortlessly in the hours following birth
Eating the afterbirth
placentophagia
What is placentophagia related to
Whether species keeps young near the birth site
Post-partum behaviour in cows
Licks uterine discharges before birth is complete
Rests briefly after calving, rises and licks fetal membranes and fluids from calf (get it dry, standing)
Eats placenta and sometimes the dirty bedding
Post-partum behaviour in sows
Eats all or part of the afterbirth
Calls to her litter to suckle using short grunts or loud barking grunts
Rarely licks/grooms them
“Nervous sow” may engage in savaging (attack), cannibalism or piglet crushing
Two types of maternal/neonatal behaviours? E.g.
Hiders (nest species): minimizes predation, especially if altricial. Keep others away so can bond. e.g. pigs, first three weeks piglets stay in nest, mother may leave
Followers (non-nest species): e.g. horse, wherever mom goes, foal is close behind, always together
Describe the mother-offspring bond. When it develops? How?
Develops during sensitive period following birth, often in isolation, takes place quickly and efficiently
Aided by hormones (e.g. oxytocin)
Vocalizations, grooming
Why put ewes in a small space
So when she lambs the opportunity to bond is maximized
Ewe’s can have issues with not bonding with lamb
Describe grooming with relation to initiation of maternal behaviour
Influenced by prolactin
Dried saliva imparts a pheromone on offspring (olfaction (along with nursing))
Obtains information on auditory, olfactory, visual and gustatory cues of young
Describe teat-seeking maternal behaviour
Dam stands stationary adjacent to the young, allows them to explore
Will re-orient herself to help them find the teat (e.g. ewes, cows, mares)
Sows lay laterally recumbant
Warmest part is mammary tissue, heat-gradient leads young to teat (pigs)
How is cross-fostering facilitated
Masking odour (skinning own lamb to place on non-offspring, grafting)
Re-stretching the cervix and vaginal canal
Restraining dam and offspring (maybe tranquilizing the dam)
Cross-fostering facilitation in ewes, specifically
Grafting - saline or slime (take afterbirth of stillborn, dip a triplet lamb in it)
Wearing a ‘jacket’ - dip ‘jacket’ in afterbirth
Re-stimulation
Restraint
How does milk let down occur
Ejection reflex manifested by sudden rise in milk pressure after udder/teat stimulation (vigorous nosing of udder by young, time for oxytocin to circulate)
Triggers of milk let down
Nosing of udder
Smells, sounds, visual cues
What can prevent milk let down
Factors leading to release in adrenaline (stress/fear)
Nursing vs suckling
Nursing = action of dam (adopts upright stance if one offspring, recumbent position if litter-bearing)
Suckling = action of the young (young remain stationary, rapidly gulping the milk released as a result of rise in milk pressure)
Why is parturient synchronization common? E.g.
may be a form of maternal protection (either conscious or unconscious)
e.g. foaling in early summer when nutrition is at its highest
Once the offspring is upright and steady, what happens?
Explore towards damn
Once teat-like protrusion encountered, grasps and sucks
Occurs for 1-2h then wanes if not rewarded. If successful = reinforced = learning
Weaning in nature vs production
Nature = gradual, young become accustomed to solid feed
Intensive systems = abrupt, rapid. Temporarily hinders growth (growth check)
Two parts of weaning
Removal of milk and removal of association with dam
5 key features of play
1) Is not fully functional
2) Is self-rewarding
3) Differs in structure/timing from its adult or ‘serious’ form
4) Performed repeatedly but not stereotypically
5) Expressed when animal is in a ‘relaxed field’
Benefits of play
- Develop physical strength, endurance, skills
- Promote/regulates developmental rates
- Develops cognitive skills necessary for beh adaptability, flexibility. inventiveness
- Strengthens social bonds/cohesion
