Abstract
The objective of the present study was to reveal the effects of grazing on the temperament traits of cows. Nine Japanese Black cows [344 ± 32 kg body weight (BW), 7.7 ± 3.0 year of age], which had various experiences, such as tethering, handling, and grazing, were used in this experiment. Five of the nine cows were grazed for 3 months on a 1.8-ha field composed of a sown pasture with forestland. The remaining cows were fed in confinement. On days 38, 52, 72, and 86 after the start of grazing, the temperament traits observed in various situations, such as moving to the body weight scale, weighing, handling, moving to the stock for blood sampling, holding in the stock, and obtaining a blood sample, were assessed with a visual analog scale (VAS: 1–10) or score (1–5). During weighing and handling, the intensity of resistance exhibited by the grazing cows, as evaluated by head movement, walking/stepping, tail flicking, rope tension, and overall movement, was lower than that exhibited by confined cows (P < 0.05). The resistance score exhibited by the grazing cows during blood sampling was also lower than that exhibited by confined cows (P < 0.01). These results suggest that grazing enhances docility in cows with various experiences in different situations encountered in daily management.
Highlights
In cattle, temperament is described as an animal’s response to handling or forced movement by humans [1]
The grazing area was divided into four paddocks, and the cows were rotated among the paddocks based on the availability of forage
During handling (Figure 1C), the visual analog scale (VAS) scores for resistance as expressed by head movement, tail flicking, walking/stepping, rope tension, and overall movement were significantly lower in GCs than in CCs after the start of grazing
Summary
Temperament is described as an animal’s response to handling or forced movement by humans [1]. Temperament is one of the most important parameters in livestock production. It contributes to animal productivity and meat quality [2], animal welfare [3, 4], immunity [5, 6], and even the safety of those handling the animals [7]. Handling and rearing can affect cattle temperament. Cattle that are frequently handled tend to become more docile than those that are less handled [10]; excessive handling could be detrimental in animal management with regard to human safety since these individuals develop no flight zone. Less frequent human-animal interactions make cattle fearful, which can cause them to behave aggressively during handling [10].
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