Behavioral changes associated with fever in transition dairy cows.

Area of Science:

• Animal Behavior
• Veterinary Medicine
• Dairy Science

Background:

• Dairy cows can develop fever without obvious clinical signs of illness.
• Early detection of subclinical disease is crucial for herd health management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate behavioral changes in dairy cows with fever but no clinical disease.
• To compare feeding, social, and lying behaviors of febrile cows with healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Dairy cows were monitored post-parturition using electronic feed bins and lying stall data loggers.
• Fever was defined as rectal body temperature >39.5°C; cows were screened for clinical diseases.
• Behavioral data from cows with one or multiple days of fever were compared to matched healthy controls.

Main Results:

• Cows with fever, regardless of duration, spent significantly less time feeding than healthy controls.
• Cows with one day of fever exhibited faster eating rates and fewer feed bunk displacements.
• Observed behavioral changes in febrile cows align with general sickness responses.

Conclusions:

• Subclinical fever in dairy cows is associated with distinct changes in feeding behavior.
• Monitoring behavioral patterns can aid in the early identification of unwell animals.
• These findings contribute to understanding sickness behavior in livestock.