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Pain and pessimism affect calves' play behaviours post-disbudding.
Amelia St John Wallis1, Suzanne D E Held1, Michael T Mendl1
1Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS40 5DU UK.
Discover Animals
|August 4, 2025
Summary
Hot-iron disbudding significantly reduced play-fighting in calves for at least seven days. Pessimistic calves showed slower recovery in locomotor play, indicating a greater impact of pain and stress on their behavior.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Animal Welfare
- Veterinary Science
Background:
- Painful procedures like hot-iron disbudding can impact animal behavior, particularly play.
- Individual differences in temperament, such as pessimism, may influence an animal's response to pain and stress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of hot-iron disbudding on different types of play behavior in calves.
- To determine if 'pessimism,' assessed via judgment bias, influences behavioral changes after disbudding.
Main Methods:
- Holstein female calves were assessed for judgment bias before disbudding.
- Locomotor play and play-fighting were recorded before, during, and after hot-iron disbudding.
- Behavioral data were analyzed to compare play across different time points and temperaments.
Main Results:
- Play-fighting significantly decreased post-disbudding and did not recover within seven days.
- Locomotor play showed no immediate change but increased the day after disbudding.
- Pessimistic calves exhibited a reduced increase in locomotor play the day after disbudding, suggesting impaired recovery.
Conclusions:
- Play-fighting appears to be a sensitive indicator of persistent pain following hot-iron disbudding in calves.
- Pessimistic temperament may hinder calves' ability to cope with and recover from stressors like disbudding.
