Social dominance in dairy cattle and the influences of housing and management

Abstract

Although there is much information available on social dominance in dairy cattle the concept is still regularly discussed. The results of four experiments with dairy cows, together with the relevant literature are used to discuss the influence of housing and management on social dominance. In total, seven groups of dairy cows kept in cubicle houses were studied. Stable dominance relationships appeared to exist, but in 41.1% of all pairs both members displaced each other. It is argued that the housing system (feeding rack and cubicles) and the management (crowding) greatly influence the occurrence of successful displacements by a subordinate cow (‘contradictory displacements’) and of other ‘aberrant’ interactions. The role of social dominance in the daily life of the dairy cow is discussed. The chances of a cow obtaining resources (e.g. food or a lying place) can only be predicted to a limited degree from her dominance value. Various ‘disturbing factors’ (e.g. aberrant interactions, triangular relationships, individual variation in frequency and ‘direction’ of interactions) affect such a prediction. These disturbing factors are the result of the housing and the management at the dairy farm. It is concluded that the described dominance value is the best available because possible alternatives are more difficult to obtain and no more useful.