The preferences and behaviour of farmed red deer ( Cervus elaphus) in the presence of other farmed species

Abstract

This study investigated the location and behaviour of farmed red deer ( Cervus elaphus) in the presence of other farmed species. Twenty groups, each of five male yearling red deer, were used to study behavioural responses and preferred location in a test pen situated between two other pens containing one of 10 combinations of other species. The 10 treatments were: penning between two empty pens, unfamiliar deer and an empty pen, cattle and an empty pen, pigs and an empty pen, sheep and an empty pen, unfamiliar deer and cattle, unfamiliar deer and pigs, pigs and cattle, cattle and sheep, or pigs and sheep. Deer were observed in the test pen for two 90-min periods separated by a 2-h-interval period to examine any short-term habituation effect. Scan and instantaneous sampling methods were used to record location, orientation, behaviour, posture and inter-animal interactions. Overall, there was a marked effect of treatment on location within the test pen. While test deer tended to avoid the centre of the pen, they were observed next to unfamiliar deer during a greater number of scans than next to an empty pen (0.78 vs. 0.27; p < 0.01) or next to cattle (0.78 vs. 0.05; p < 0.01) or pigs (0.78 vs. 0.00; p < 0.01). Only when between cattle and pigs did test deer choose to occupy a central location in the pen. These results did not differ between the two observation periods. There was no significant effect of treatment on orientation. The deer spent more time alert (0.51 vs. 0.31; p < 0.001) and less time idling (0.22 vs. 0.29; p < 0.001) and also stood more (0.82 vs. 0.42; p < 0.001) and moved more (0.10 vs. 0.05; p < 0.001) during the first observation period compared to the second. Lying behaviour increased during the second observation period (0.47 vs. 0.10; p < 0.001). When cattle occupied one pen, the presence of unfamiliar deer in the other resulted in an increase in lying compared to when the second pen was empty (0.36 vs. 0.18; p < 0.05). While more agonistic interactions were initiated per deer in the first than in the second period (3.91 vs. 2.47; p < 0.01), there were no significant effects of treatment. Overall, while some aspects of behaviour altered relatively quickly in relation to the presence of other species, suggesting a degree of habituation, the location of the deer in relation to treatment did not differ between the two observation periods. It is suggested that when in pens adjacent to other species, deer choose to maintain closer contact with unfamiliar deer, nothing/sheep and cattle/pigs in descending order of preference and that, if deer are likely to be in close proximity to other species, welfare considerations should be based on specific interspecies information.