Handling of extensively kept animals

Abstract

The development of modern European agriculture, especially in extensive management systems, leads to an increase in the number of animals per stockman. Thus, the time allocated to each animal by the farmer is decreasing. In extensive management systems animals are often fed by their mothers and receive only neutral or aversive contacts from humans (e.g. sanitary treatment). Many welfare problems related to interactions between the animals and their caretakers can arise when changing from intensive management systems to such extensive environments. Management methods and selection of the appropriate animals are being studied to minimise handling problems and the negative consequences for the handlers and the animals. Intensive rearing conditions, such as calves drinking milk provided by humans, lead to animals easy to handle with very little aggressive behaviour. By contrast, research on cattle, goats and sheep has shown that a lack of human contact when young results in animals which are fearful and sometimes aggressive towards the caretakers. This is especially true for cattle in range conditions. The stress on the animals is also likely to be increased during particular events such as artificial insemination, veterinary visits or pre-slaughter handling. It is also suspected that a poor temperament is associated with more bruising and dark-cutting on cattle carcases and increased mismothering in sheep. Such problems can be reduced by brief and non aversive handling during particular periods. For example, calves receiving 10 days of handling during the first three months of age or just after artificial weaning when 8 months of age are easier to handle than non-handled animals. Another problem associated with a change to extensive management systems is the use of breeds not selected for these new conditions. Experiments on cattle and sheep have shown an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Bulls can produce daughters which are aggressive towards humans in range conditions, whereas other daughters are easy to handle in intensive systems. In the same way, Romanov ewes, well known for their good maternal behaviour in intensive systems, are easily disturbed at lambing by human presence when they are reared in extensive conditions. The use of appropriate genetic types or of genetic selection for ease of handling in extensive management would help to improve animal reactions toward human. A heritability coefficient of 0.22 for this criterion has been calculated for a population of French Limousin cattle.