Quantification of temperament in weaned deer calves of two genotypes ( Cervus elaphus and Cervus elaphus × Elaphurus davidianus hybrids)

Abstract

Two experiments were carried out on farmed deer calves at weaning (at 3–4 months of age) to compare individual temperament. In Experiment 1, 30 male red deer calves were confined indoors in groups of 15. On Days 1–27 following weaning they were subjected to the following tests: time taken to feed in the presence of a human ( n=15 trials); time taken to sniff a novel object ( n=5 trials); drafting order ( n=8 trials); aggression during feeding ( n=3 trials); isolation in a novel pen with and without a human; individual confinement ( n=5 trials). Individual rangkings within groups within the same type of test revealed some consistency in individual behaviour. Principal components analysis indicated behavioural variability in fear of humans and exploratory behaviour. In Experiment 2, 22 red deer×Père David deer and 34 red deer calves were tested in pairs of the same genotype, on either Day 1 or Day 2 after weaning. Each pair was confined for 20 min in an unfamiliar pen, with a stationary human in the pen during the last 10 min of the test. Hybrid calves showed a tendency to avoid the human more and to be less active in the presence of the human compared with red deer calves. This tendency was significant for nosing activities directed at the walls and floor of the pen ( P<0.05). Principal components analysis indicated that the genotypes differed most in their nosing frequency and mobility within the pen, with hybrid calves nosing less than red deer at the same level of mobility. Thus both experiments indicated variability in the degree to which deer calves avoided humans and exhibited exploratory behaviour in new surroundings.