Study on the temperament of cows of the Limousin cattle breed

Abstract

The temperament of 322 cows of the Limousin cattle breed reared in 10 farms on the territory of Bulgaria was studied. The data used comprise the period from 2017 to 2022. The animals in the study were between the age of 3 and 7 years. The temperament of cows reared under two different technologies was compared, and the influence of the age was also taken into account. The cows reared under one of the technologies were mostly pasture-bred and had no frequent interaction with people. The cows reared under the second technology were mostly kept in the farm and had frequent interaction with their handlers. An analysis of the temperament was performed, through a scoring system from 1 to 5, based on a visual assessment of the behavior during a manipulation in a cattle crush. The temperament of the Limousin cows received an average score of 3,22 ± 0,06. The age group, within the method of rearing, did not have a significant influence on the parameter display. There was a tendency towards a calmer temperament upon walking along a cattle alley and a crush observed with the age increase of the Limousin cows. The temperament of the cows reared in herds which had no interaction with people was evaluated with the average score of 3,43 ± 0,11, and that of the cows reared in an environment in which they had frequent interaction with people was assessed with an average score of 2,91 ± 0,08.