Behavioural Responses of Beef Cattle to Hot Conditions
Abstract
:Simple Summary
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Design
2.2. Animal Housing
2.3. Animal Management
2.4. Behavioural Observations
2.4.1. Visual Observations
2.4.2. Observations from Video Recordings
2.4.3. Post-Experiment Behavioural Observations
2.5. Climatic Data
2.6. Statistical Analyses
3. Results
3.1. Stepping, Standing, and Lying
3.2. Ears
3.3. Head
3.4. Tail
3.5. Oral Behaviours
3.6. Behaviour Correlations
4. Discussion
4.1. Standing and Stepping
4.2. Ears
4.3. Head
4.4. Tail
4.5. Oral Behaviours
4.5.1. Nutritional Behaviours
4.5.2. Grooming
4.5.3. Respiration
5. Limitations
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Day | Treatment Phase | Min TA (°C) | Max TA (°C) | Mean TA (°C) | Min RH (%) | Max RH (%) | Mean RH (%) | Min THI | Max THI | Mean THI |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0 | ACC | 19.7 | 21.0 | 20.1 | 60.9 | 90.6 | 66.2 | 65.5 | 69.1 | 66.3 |
1 | ACC | 19.7 | 21.0 | 20.1 | 60.9 | 90.6 | 66.2 | 65.5 | 69.1 | 66.3 |
2 | ACC | 19.5 | 21.6 | 20.0 | 60.0 | 89.3 | 67.1 | 65.3 | 68.9 | 66.2 |
3 | TN | 19.5 | 20.8 | 19.9 | 61.3 | 90.1 | 67.9 | 65.3 | 68.8 | 66.1 |
4 | TN | 19.6 | 24.0 | 20.2 | 60.0 | 89.1 | 68.2 | 65.5 | 72.0 | 66.4 |
5 | TP1 | 19.9 | 40.5 | 33.2 | 42.9 | 88.4 | 66.1 | 66.3 | 92.6 | 84.9 |
Finisher Dietary Cohort: Transition to 30 °C from 00:00 h on day 5 Substituted Dietary Cohort: Transition to 30 °C from 21:00 h on day 5 | ||||||||||
6 | HOT | 28.4 | 40.2 | 33.0 | 43.3 | 82.8 | 65.8 | 80.5 | 91.8 | 84.8 |
7 | HOT | 28.4 | 38.1 | 32.1 | 42.3 | 84.2 | 63.7 | 78.3 | 89.1 | 83.0 |
8 | HOT | 24.9 | 34.3 | 28.7 | 44.3 | 82.0 | 65.9 | 73.6 | 85.0 | 78.4 |
9 | HOT | 22.6 | 34.4 | 28.0 | 45.81 | 79.5 | 66.2 | 69.9 | 85.7 | 77.5 |
10 | HOT | 20.6 | 30.3 | 24.3 | 54.4 | 80.5 | 66.7 | 67.2 | 80.0 | 72.3 |
11 | HOT | 20.4 | 30.4 | 24.2 | 45.3 | 80.6 | 65.8 | 67.1 | 79.2 | 72.0 |
12 | HOT | 19.7 | 21.3 | 20.3 | 50.0 | 90.5 | 64.6 | 65.8 | 68.8 | 66.4 |
13 | TP2 | 19.7 | 20.7 | 20.1 | 56.4 | 91.3 | 65.5 | 65.6 | 68.6 | 66.2 |
14 | Recovery | 19.7 | 21.4 | 20.1 | 58.1 | 89.0 | 66.7 | 65.6 | 69.6 | 66.2 |
15 | Recovery | 19.6 | 20.5 | 19.9 | 58.4 | 90.3 | 66.4 | 65.6 | 68.2 | 66.0 |
16 | Recovery | 19.4 | 25.0 | 20.5 | 57.8 | 93.5 | 66.4 | 65.2 | 73.2 | 66.8 |
17 | Recovery | 19.3 | 23.7 | 21.1 | 58.1 | 69.0 | 61.9 | 64.9 | 71.1 | 67.5 |
Item | Starter | Intermediate | Finisher | Substituted |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ingredients, % of diet | ||||
Grain mix * | 62.1 | 74.5 | 86.8 | 78.7 |
Whole cottonseed | 9.0 | 16.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 |
Lucerne hay | 28.9 | 9.0 | 4.2 | 12.3 |
Nutrient composition | ||||
DM, g/kg fresh weight | 880 | 893 | 887 | 886 |
ADF, g/kg DM | 263 | 257 | 119 | 177 |
NDF, g/kg DM | 404 | 375 | 229 | 253 |
NEg, MJ/kg DM | 29 | 29 | 30 | 30 |
ME, MJ/kg DM | 116 | 119 | 132 | 131 |
DE, MJ/kg DM | 143 | 147 | 163 | 162 |
Crude fibre, g/kg DM | 218 | 197 | 87 | 124 |
Nitrogen-free extract, g/kg DM | 503 | 548 | 678 | 685 |
Fat, g/kg DM | 46 | 43 | 46 | 43 |
Feed digestibility, g/kg DM | 768 | 791 | 861 | 868 |
Digestible DM, g/kg DM | 676 | 707 | 763 | 769 |
Digestible protein g/kg DM | 133 | 125 | 130 | 131 |
Starch, g/kg DM | 229 | 218 | 432 | 432 |
Item | Description |
---|---|
Respiration rate | Time taken for 10 breaths, determined by flank movement |
Panting score | Animal visually scored for the extent of panting based on a score scale of 0 to 4.5 |
Standing | Animal standing with limb positioned upright |
Lying | Animal resting on the floor with their limb laterally or sternally recumbent |
Eating | Animal consuming feed at the trough |
Chews while eating | Chews counted for one minute at the time of morning feed |
Rumination | Animal chewing a bolus or regurgitating bolus |
Grooming | Animal licking any part of the body or striking one part with another part of the body |
Scratching | Animal rubbing or striking any part of the body against the fixture of the pen |
Ear positions | |
Ear raised | Both ears held upright above the neck with the ear pinnae facing forward or to the side |
Ear forward | Both ear pinnae directed forward in front of the focal animal and the ear held horizontally |
Ear backward | Both ears being held backward on the focal animal’s head |
Ear downward | Both ears being loosely hung downward, falling perpendicular to the head |
Ear specific | Both ear pinnae (right and left) oriented in the opposite direction or perpendicular to the head rump axis, failing to satisfy raised, forward, backward, and downward ear positions |
Head positions | |
Head raised | The head held upright above the withers or the body’s topline |
Head neutral | The head held horizontally at the level of the withers or the body’s topline |
Head downward | The head held downward below the withers or the body’s topline |
Stepping | |
Front right (FR) limb | Animal raising a front right limb and replacing it forthwith on the surface of the pen |
Front left (FL) limb | Animal raising a front left limb and replacing it forthwith on the surface of the pen |
Back right (BR) limb | Animal raising a back right limb and replacing it forthwith on the surface of the pen |
Back left (BL) limb | Animal raising a back left limb and replacing it forthwith on the surface of the pen |
Tail positions | |
Tail raised | Tail held in a fixed position, held at 45 degrees from the vertical position |
Tail vertical | Tail hanging downward from the vertical line of the body and is vertical with no movements |
Tail swishing | Swift movement of the tail in any direction around the hind quarters from its base in a side-to-side flicking manner |
Tail tucked | Tail held tightly pressed in a fixed position against the rump, with the tip of the tail tucked behind the hind limb |
Behaviour | Finisher Diet | Substituted Diet | SED | F-Value (1, 18 d.f. †) | p-Value | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
TN | HOT | TN | HOT | Period (P) | D × P | |||
Stepping | ||||||||
FR limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.69 | 0.79 | 0.70 | 0.79 | ||||
(counts/5 min) | (3.90) | (5.17) | (4.01) | (5.17) | 0.0074 | 331.35 | ≤0.001 | 0.15 |
FL limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.73 | 0.84 | 0.68 | 0.81 | ||||
(counts/5 min) | (4.37) | (5.92) | (3.79) | (5.46) | 0.0103 | 276.25 | ≤0.001 | 0.51 |
BR limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.81 | 1.03 | 0.71 | 0.97 | ||||
(counts/5 min) | (5.46) | (9.72) | (4.13) | (8.33) | 0.023 | 229.66 | ≤0.001 | 0.24 |
BL limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.84 | 1.06 | 0.71 | 0.99 | ||||
(counts/5 min) | (5.92) | (10.48) | (4.13) | (8.77) | 0.025 | 200.85 | ≤0.001 | 0.17 |
Total stepping, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 1.31 | 1.51 | 1.23 | 1.46 | ||||
(counts/5 min) | (19.42) | (31.36) | (15.98) | (27.84) | 0.0198 | 233.90 | ≤0.001 | 0.37 |
R/L limb, ratio of Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.28 | 0.28 | 0.31 | 0.29 | ||||
(ratio of counts/5 min) | (0.91) | (0.91) | (1.04) | (0.95) | 0.0158 | 6.73 | 0.02 | 0.064 |
F/B limb, ratio of Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.24 | 0.19 | 0.28 | 0.21 | ||||
(ratio of counts/5 min) | (0.74) | (0.55) | (0.91) | (0.62) | 0.0112 | 57.88 | ≤0.001 | 0.24 |
Standing/lying | ||||||||
Standing, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.14 | 0.17 | 0.15 | 0.17 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.38) | (0.48) | (0.41) | (0.48) | 0.00202 | 254.50 | ≤0.001 | 0.075 |
Lying, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.21 | 0.18 | 0.20 | 0.18 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.62) | (0.51) | (0.59) | (0.51) | 0.0012 | 836 | ≤0.001 | 0.71 |
Ears, head, and tail | ||||||||
Ear backward, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.088 c | 0.23 a | 0.0501 d | 0.17 b | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.22) | (0.71) | (0.12) | (0.49) | 0.00242 | 6108.09 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 |
Ear forward, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.11 | 0.0396 | 0.11 | 0.047 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.29) | (0.095) | (0.29) | (0.12) | 0.00488 | 386.44 | ≤0.001 | 0.24 |
Ear axial, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.078 b | 0.0304 c | 0.11 a | 0.094 a | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.19) | (0.073) | (0.276) | (0.24) | 0.00389 | 116.37 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 |
Head downward, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.014 c | 0.13 a | 0.016 c | 0.099 b | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.033) | (0.34) | (0.037) | (0.26) | 0.00716 | 387.1 | ≤0.001 | 0.01 |
Head neutral, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.28 | 0.21 | 0.27 | 0.22 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.88) | (0.63) | (0.88) | (0.66) | 0.0049 | 272.19 | ≤0.001 | 0.096 |
Tail vertical, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.27 c | 0.29 a | 0.27 c | 0.28 b | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.86) | (0.96) | (0.85) | (0.92) | 0.00181 | 227.66 (1, 8) | ≤0.001 | 0.002 |
Tail swishing, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.000157 | 0.000629 | 0.000846 | 0.000646 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.000362) | (0.00145) | (0.00195) | (0.00149) | 0.0000505 | 0.14 | 0.71 | 0.36 |
Oral behaviours | ||||||||
Groom, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.0081 | 0.0017 | 0.011 | 0.0055 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.019) | (0.00397) | (0.29) | (0.013) | 0.000335 | 629.29 | ≤0.001 | 0.14 |
Scratch, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.0047 | 0.00085 | 0.0056 | 0.0018 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.011) | (0.0019) | (0.013) | (0.00404) | 0.000492 | 120.87 | ≤0.001 | 0.99 |
Rumination, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.067 a | 0.016 c | 0.066 a | 0.026 b | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.17) | (0.038) | (0.16) | (0.061) | 0.00181 | 1260.63 | ≤0.001 | 0.001 |
Eating, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.015 | 0.0041 | 0.017 | 0.0067 | ||||
(prop. time) | (0.034) | (0.0094) | (0.039) | (0.016) | 0.000894 | 318.49 | ≤0.001 | 0.55 |
Chewing while eating, Log10 + 1 chews/minute | 0.067 a | 0.016 c | 0.066 a | 0.026 b | ||||
(chews/minute) | (0.17) | (0.038) | (0.16) | (0.061) | 0.00181 | 1260.63 | ≤0.001 | 0.001 |
Dry matter intake, Log10 + 1 kg/day | 1.05 | 0.79 | 1.08 | 0.83 | ||||
(kg/day) | (10.22) | (5.17) | (11.02) | (5.76) | 0.0312 | 135.32 | ≤0.001 | 0.94 |
Respiration rate, Log10 + 1 breaths/min | 1.77 | 2.06 | 1.80 | 2.07 | ||||
(breaths/min) | (57.88) | (113.82) | (62.1) | (116.49) | 0.00716 | 2939.5 | ≤0.001 | 0.055 |
Panting score (PS), Log10 + 1 PS score | 0.31 b | 0.44 a | 0.34 b | 0.44 a | ||||
(PS score) | (1.04) | (1.75) | (1.19) | (1.75) | 0.00716 | 547.79 | ≤0.001 | 0.04 |
Behaviour | Finisher Diet | Substituted Diet | SED | F-Value (d.f. †) | p-Value | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
HOT | Recovery | HOT | Recovery | Period (P) | Diet (D) | D × P | D × d | |||
Stepping | ||||||||||
FR limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.81 | 0.71 | 0.70 | 0.52 | ||||||
(counts/5 min) | (5.51) | (4.07) | (4.02) | (2.29) | 0.061 | 47.69 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.03 | 0.08 | ≤0.001 |
FL limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.84 a | 0.71 a | 0.73 ab | 0.50 c | ||||||
(counts/5 min) | (5.90) | (4.07) | (4.46) | (2.15) | 0.064 | 71.17 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.006 | 0.02 | ≤0.001 |
BR limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.98 a | 0.86 b | 0.91 ab | 0.64 c | ||||||
(counts/5 min) | (8.58) | (6.25) | (7.06) | (3.32) | 0.077 | 54.54 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.02 | 0.005 | ≤0.001 |
BL limb, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 1.04 | 0.85 | 0.91 | 0.64 | ||||||
(counts/5 min) | (9.91) | (6.03) | (7.10) | (3.39) | 0.073 | 82.07 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.01 | 0.142 | ≤0.001 |
Total stepping, Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 1.50 a | 1.33 b | 1.36 ab | 1.07 c | ||||||
(counts/5 min) | (30.37) | (20.38) | (22.14) | (10.85) | 0.076 | 74.46 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.006 | 0.02 | ≤0.001 |
R/L limb, ratio of Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.28 | 0.31 | 0.30 | 0.32 | ||||||
(ratio of counts/5 min) | (0.89) | (1.02) | (0.98) | (1.07) | 0.014 | 27.31 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.04 | 0.28 | ≤0.001 |
F/B limb, ratio of Log10 + 1 counts/5 min | 0.20 | 0.22 | 0.23 | 0.25 | ||||||
(ratio of counts/5 min) | (0.58) | (0.65) | (0.68) | (0.77) | 0.023 | 6.55 (1, 162) | 0.01 | 0.07 | 0.79 | 0.22 |
Standing/lying | ||||||||||
Standing, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.15 | 0.13 | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.52) | (0.51) | (0.42) | (0.36) | 0.014 | 4.27 (1, 162) | 0.04 | 0.01 | 0.14 | 0.07 |
Lying, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.17 b | 0.16 b | 0.19 b | 0.21 a | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.47) | (0.46) | (0.54) | (0.61) | 0.014 | 2.96 (1, 162) | 0.09 | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
Ears, head, and tail | ||||||||||
Ear backward, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.24 a | 0.064 c | 0.16 b | 0.066 c | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.72) | (0.160) | (0.45) | (0.164) | 0.0188 | 423 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 |
Ear forward, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.038 b | 0.087 a | 0.047 b | 0.077 a | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.091) | (0.223) | (0.115) | (0.194) | 0.0112 | 104.71 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.94 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
Ear axial, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.024 c | 0.13 a | 0.095 b | 0.12 a | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.057) | (0.34) | (0.245) | (0.32) | 0.0155 | 140 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.01 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 |
Head downward, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.134 a | 0.037 c | 0.085 b | 0.037 c | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.360) | (0.090) | (0.22) | (0.088) | 0.0189 | 123 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.03 | ≤0.001 | 0.002 |
Head neutral, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.20 c | 0.25 a | 0.23 b | 0.24 ab | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.59) | (0.79) | (0.68) | (0.74) | 0.018 | 29.43 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.54 | 0.006 | 0.01 |
Tail vertical, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.296 | 0.270 | 0.278 | 0.251 | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.978) | (0.864) | (0.898) | (0.782) | 0.0124 | 38.70 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.008 | 0.86 | 0.30 |
Tail swishing, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.00088 | 0.0071 | 0.00039 | 0.0034 | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.0020) | (0.017) | (0.00089) | (0.0078) | 0.00649 | 4.21 (1, 179) | 0.042 | 0.35 | 0.47 | 0.84 |
Oral behaviours | ||||||||||
Groom, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.0023 c | 0.016 a | 0.0046 c | 0.011 b | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.0053) | (0.038) | (0.011) | (0.026) | 0.00246 | 140.71 (1, 161) | ≤0.001 | 0.295 | ≤0.001 | 0.002 |
Scratch, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.00093 c | 0.012 a | 0.0015 c | 0.0066 b | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.0021) | (0.028) | (0.0035) | (0.015) | 0.00197 | 132 (1, 157) | ≤0.001 | 0.038 | ≤0.001 | 0.90 |
Rumination, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.012 d | 0.059 a | 0.029 c | 0.047 b | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.029) | (0.145) | (0.067) | (0.113) | 0.010 | 85.21 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.60 | ≤0.001 | 0.04 |
Eating, Log10 + 1 prop. time | 0.0035 | 0.0075 | 0.0069 | 0.012 | ||||||
(prop. time) | (0.0081) | (0.017) | (0.016) | (0.028) | 0.00411 | 9.57 (1, 162) | 0.002 | 0.06 | 0.80 | 0.05 |
Chewing while eating, Log10 + 1 chews/minute | 1.85 | 1.97 | 1.87 | 1.97 | ||||||
(chews/minute) | (70.21) | (91.70) | (73.32) | (92.28) | 0.0155 | 373.86 (1, 128) | ≤0.001 | 0.19 | 0.15 | 0.05 |
Dry matter intake, Log10 + 1 kg/day | 0.76 | 0.95 | 0.80 | 0.98 | ||||||
(kg/day) | (4.80) | (7.98) | (5.28) | (8.45) | 0.045 | 140.69 (1, 162) | ≤0.001 | 0.36 | 0.70 | 0.75 |
Respiration rate, Log10 + 1 breaths/min | 2.04 a | 1.66 c | 2.05 a | 1.73 b | ||||||
(breaths/min) | (108.27) | (44.19) | (111.61) | (52.70) | 0.0441 | 6923.51 (1, 3810.59) | ≤0.001 | 0.02 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 |
Panting score (PS), Log10 + 1 PS score | 0.44 a | 0.20 c | 0.44 a | 0.25 b | 3882.21 | |||||
(PS score) | (1.74) | (0.57) | (1.75) | (0.76) | 0.036 | (1, 3809.74) | ≤0.001 | 0.02 | ≤0.001 | ≤0.001 |
Behaviour in the Hot Period–Prior TN Period | Differential Mean ± SE (Prop. of Time) for the 2 Periods | Feedlot Behaviour | Correlation Coefficient | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Head downward | 0.26 ± 0.02 | Head downward | 0.537 | 0.015 |
Ear backward | 0.43 ± 0.02 | Head downward | 0.704 | 0.001 |
0.43 ± 0.02 | Ear forward | 0.694 | 0.001 | |
0.43 ± 0.02 | Ear axial | −0.699 | 0.001 | |
Tail vertical | 0.084 ± 0.007 | Tail tucked | 0.530 | 0.016 |
0.084 ± 0.007 | Ear forward | 0.592 | 0.006 | |
0.084 ± 0.007 | Head downward | 0.689 | 0.001 | |
Rumination | −0.12 ± 0.004 | Ear forward | −0.581 | 0.007 |
−0.12 ± 0.004 | Tail tucked | −0.605 | 0.005 | |
−0.12 ± 0.004 | Tail vertical | −0.554 | 0.011 | |
Standing | 0.076 ± 0.005 | Scratching | 0.561 | 0.010 |
0.076 ± 0.005 | Head neutral | −0.537 | 0.015 |
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Idris, M.; Sullivan, M.; Gaughan, J.B.; Phillips, C.J.C. Behavioural Responses of Beef Cattle to Hot Conditions. Animals 2024, 14, 2444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162444
Idris M, Sullivan M, Gaughan JB, Phillips CJC. Behavioural Responses of Beef Cattle to Hot Conditions. Animals. 2024; 14(16):2444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162444
Chicago/Turabian StyleIdris, Musadiq, Megan Sullivan, John B. Gaughan, and Clive J. C. Phillips. 2024. "Behavioural Responses of Beef Cattle to Hot Conditions" Animals 14, no. 16: 2444. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162444