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Ease of moving young calves at different ages
1Animal Welfare Science Centre, DPI Victoria, Sneydes Road, Werribee, Victoria, 3030, Australia. EJongman@unimelb.edu.au
Australian Veterinary Journal
|February 27, 2013
Summary
Handling young bobby calves becomes easier as they age. Even the youngest calves were relatively easy to move individually, suggesting age impacts herding behavior.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Agricultural Science
- Veterinary Science
Background:
- Young bobby calves (first week of life) lack developed herding behavior.
- Calves in the 'hider' phase naturally spend more time resting.
- Older calves are anecdotally easier to handle, but responsiveness is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of age on the ease of handling bobby calves.
- To assess calf responsiveness to handlers at different ages.
Main Methods:
- The study involved moving 3-, 5-, and 9-11-day-old calves individually through an obstacle course.
- The course included inclines, declines, and turns.
Main Results:
- Older calves (9-11 days) took less time (72s) and required fewer handler interventions (4.8) compared to younger calves (3 days: 99s, 8.4 interventions).
- A significant effect of age was observed on both movement time and handler interventions (P < 0.05).
Conclusions:
- Herding ease for bobby calves improves with age.
- Individually handled calves demonstrated relative ease of movement irrespective of their age.
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