Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

At present indoor tethering of dairy cows is still common but is not predicted to take part of modern dairy production. When conducting scientific studies of cattle it is generally necessary to tether the animals to maintain a controlled environment. Studies confirm that tethering and confinements of cattle severely affects the development of stereotypies in cattle. The feeding regime and feeding level have an immense affect on the stereotypi level in cattle.

The aim of this experiment was to study dairy heifers that had never been tethered before the start of the experiment, to evaluate the affect of tethering on the development of stereotypies and the impact of the feeding regime on the behavior of the animals.

Sixteen dairy heifers were tethered in a tie stall and divided in two groups with different treatments. Heifers in treatment E were fed restrictedly with silage and treatment EH was fed with the same amount of silage but also straw ad libitum. The behavior of the animals was studied in one-minute intervals, twice a week for eight hours a day, for five weeks. The variables used were "standing", "lying","ruminating", "stereotypies", "licking salt", "social", "eating", "drinking", "urinating","excremented faeces" and "abnormal behavioral".

The results show that all the heifers were affected of the tethering. They all changed their standing and lying behavior as the study proceeded and there was a significant difference between the treatments. The heifers in treatment EH ate and ruminated more than the heifers in treatment E.

The animals in treatment E were restless which could be shown by a disturbed behavior, a search for feed and an extreme interest of licking salt. The heifers in treatment EH showed some disturbed behavior but with a very low frequency.

The conclusions that can be drawn from this study are that the developments of stereotypies in heifers are negatively affected by tethering and straw ad libitum can act preventable.

Syftet med detta arbete var att studera hur kvigor utan beteendestörningar och som aldrig varit
uppbundna, reagerar på uppbindning och om utfodringsrutiner har en inverkan på om stereotypier
utvecklas eller ej.
Sexton mjölkraskvigor uppfödda på lösdrift stallades upp i ett uppbundet stall och fördelades
slumpmässigt i två grupper. Den ena gruppen fick en konventionell, restriktiv fodergiva med
enbart ensilage (E) och den andra gruppen fick samma fodergiva ensilage med ett tillägg på fri
tillgång på halm (EH). Djurens beteende studerades genom direktobservation med en minuts
intervaller i åtta timmar per dag, under två dagar i veckan, i totalt fem veckor. Variabler som
användes var bland annat stå- och liggbeteende, ät- och drickbeteende, idissling, sociala
beteenden, egenvård samt beteendestörningar såsom tungrullning och bitning och slickning av
inredning.
Djuren i de olika behandlingarna uppvisade signifikanta skillnader i sitt beteende. Djuren i
behandlingsgrupp E var mer oroliga och rastlösa, vilket kunde ses genom ett ökat ståbeteende,
beteendestörningar och ett överdrivet slickande av saltsten. Djuren i behandlingsgrupp EH åt och
idisslade mer än behandlingsgrupp E. Djuren i behandlingsgrupp EH uppvisade också
beteendestörningar men med en mycket lägre frekvens än djuren i behandlingsgrupp E. Båda
grupperna ändrade sitt beteende som en effekt av tiden de var uppbundna men i olika omfattning .
Studien visar att djur som hålls uppbundna kan utveckla beteendestörningar och att en fri tillgång
på halm kan lindra denna utveckling.