The influence of restraint on the occurrence of oral stereotypies in dairy cows

Abstract

Sixteen dairy cows with stereotypies (i.e. movements that are repeated regularly without any obvious function) consisting of tongue-rolling, sometimes combined with bar-biting, were exposed to three different treatments: Group A was tethered in stalls after a 4-month grazing period, Group B remained tethered inside the stable during the normal grazing period, and Group C was tethered for 8 months and then transferred into loose housing. The duration of the stereotypies and the frequency of adjoining behaviours were registered in Groups A and B from the first week after the tethering of Group A and for the next 8 weeks. In Group C, the duration of stereotypies was registered when they were tethered and after they had been transferred into loose housing. Group A showed a marked behavioural response to the tethering, with the highest levels of stereotypies during the first 3 weeks after tethering, and thereafter a marked decrease. Groups A and B had significantly different stereotypy levels 2–6 weeks after tethering ( P=0.035). In Group C, five of six cows stopped performing stereotypies after the transfer into loose housing, while one cow which previously showed high stereotypy levels continued at a very low level, from 25.7% when tethered to 0.6% in the loose housing (of total observation time). These results indicate that the tethering of dairy cows has negative implications on their welfare.