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Related Experiment Videos

Do beef cattle react consistently to different handling situations?

L Grignard1, X Boivin, A Boissy

  • 1I.N.R.A. Theix, URH-ACS, F 63122, St Genès Champanelle, France

Applied Animal Behaviour Science
|March 15, 2001
PubMed
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Beef cattle handling responses show genetic links, with docility and crush tests revealing consistent behavioral patterns related to human interaction. These findings suggest a general reactivity influenced by sire genetics, crucial for selection criteria.

Area of Science:

  • Animal Behavior and Welfare
  • Quantitative Genetics
  • Livestock Management

Background:

  • Assessing beef cattle responses to handling is vital for welfare and management.
  • Existing methods for evaluating cattle behavior during handling vary significantly.
  • Understanding genetic influences on cattle temperament is essential for selective breeding.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between two common cattle handling evaluation methods: the docility test and the crush test.
  • To examine the genetic variability in beef cattle behavioral responses across these two handling situations.
  • To determine if sire genetics influence cattle reactions to different human-induced handling scenarios.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated behavioral reactions of 245 Limousine heifers from 10 sires in both a docility test and a crush test.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Docility test involved human interaction to lead and restrain the animal; a docility score was recorded.
  • Crush test involved social isolation, head restraint, exposure to a stationary human, and stroking; an agitation index was computed.

    • Main Results:

    • Significant sire effects (P<0.05) were observed for all tested aspects in both docility and crush tests.
    • Heifers' responses in the docility test significantly correlated with their responses in the crush test under various human presence conditions (r=0.28–0.37; P<0.001).
    • Sire behavioral reactions correlated strongly with crush test results when humans were present (r=0.81–0.88; P<0.05), but not during isolation.

    Conclusions:

    • A general reactivity to handling, influenced by sire genetics, exists in beef cattle, irrespective of restraint.
    • Cattle behavioral responses in different handling tests are correlated, particularly when human presence is a factor.
    • Defining the human environment in handling tests is critical for their use as reliable selection criteria.