Behavioral responses to handling and restraint in dehorned and polled cattle

Abstract

A total of 96 weaned bull and heifer calves were allocated by sex, breed and horn status to three management treatments, each with two levels: calves handled every 10 or 20 days; an electric prod used or not used; and calves restrained by the head or not. The behavior responses were measured by five incremental progressive force requirement categories (1=no stimulus applied, 2=voice and hand slap, 3=voice and slap with a PVC tube, 4=tail twist and 5=whatever reasonable force was required to move the animal forward) and Transit Time (TT). These progressive force requirement categories were (Snell) transformed, converted to Maximum Force Scores (MFS) and analyzed as a continuous variable. Transit Time was the time in seconds required for cattle to move a distance of 11 m in the chute. The response measurements were made on all animals on days 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 and defined as five periods in the analysis. Dehorned and polled cattle responded similarly to being handled more or less frequently, receiving or not receiving a repeated electric prod and being restrained by the head or not. There were no significant ( P>0.05) two-way interactions between horn status and the management practices, handling frequency, prod and head gate retainment, nor were the three-way interactions between horn status, management practices and period significant ( P>0.05), indicating that the overall and across period, behavior responses of dehorned and polled cattle were similar for the three management practices. Maximum Force Score and TT were higher in the calves handled every 10 days indicating that the calves reacted negatively to more frequent handling but they habituated and MFS and TT were reduced as the study progressed. The response to being restrained in the head gate was significant ( P<0.05) and an aversion to this stimulus had built up mid way through the study. Cattle reacted negatively to use of the electric prod as both MFS and TT increased by the end of the study. As the responses to handling, restraint and the electric prod were similar for dehorned and polled calves, we conclude that if horned cattle are more aggressive the behavior is ameliorated by dehorning and that breeding for polledness is a welfare friendly alternative to dehorning.