Veterinarska stanica, Vol. 49 No. 4, 2018.
Original scientific paper
Influence of an enriched environment on aggressive behaviour in beef cattle
Ranka Šimić
; Uprava za veterinarstvo i sigurnost hrane, Ministarstvo poljoprivrede, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Kristina Matković
; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Mario Ostović
; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Željko Pavičić
; Veterinarski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Željko Mihaljević
; Hrvatski veterinarski institut, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Abstract
Environmental enrichment refers to the modification of the animal environment to improve biological functioning, by increasing the repertoire of species-specific behaviours and decreasing the occurrence of abnormal behaviours. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of environmental enrichment on the occurrence of aggressive behaviour in beef cattle. The study included two groups of heifers (n=19 each) during the final fattening period of 16 weeks. The control group was housed in standard production conditions, in a half-open stable, on bedded floor, while the environment of the experimental group of heifers was additionally enriched with a mechanical grooming brush and salt blocks. Aggressive behaviour was investigated by direct
observation of heifers, over one hour, once a week. The following forms of behaviour were investigated: head but, displacement, chasing, fighting and chasing-up. The study results showed displacement and chasing to be the most frequent forms of aggressive behaviour in both groups of heifers. There were no significant differences in the frequency of displaying particular forms of aggressive behaviour between the groups, except for chasing (p=0.003). Yet, considering the total frequency of all behaviour forms observed, experimental heifers displayed significantly less aggression (p=0.001). In conclusion, an enriched environment reduced the occurrence of aggressive behaviour in beef cattle.
Keywords
beef cattle; environmental enrichment; behaviour; welfare
Hrčak ID:
223049
URI
Publication date:
22.7.2018.
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