Social Behaviour in Dairy Cows
Introduction to Dairy Cow Social Behaviours[edit]
Dairy cows are very social animals. Social behaviours between cows can have an impact on feeding time, ruminating time, and water intake..[1]. There is a hierarchy established in any herd of dairy cattle. Due to human's incorporating reproductive management in herds of dairy cows used for production, the hierarchy established in these herds is less natural, however, effects of an instinctual hierarchy can still be seen [2]. Herds establish a system involving dominants and subordinates. Studies have shown that age and weight are significantly correlated with rank in the social hierarchy [3]. Dominant, or “boss cows”, are at the top of this hierarchical system [4]. In most herds, it will be evident which are the dominant cows at water and feed troughs. Dominant cows will push their way towards the front, and stay for longer, while lower ranking, or more timid, members of the herd will stay back and wait until the others have finished [5].However, results from one study done on three dairy herds in Freiburg, South West Germany, showed that none of the herds had one particular individual cow who was dominant over the other members of the herd [6]. Therefore, dominant cows are not always seen in herds. This study concluded that the factors of the social structure will vary amongst herds and that the dominance between animals in the herd is an outcome of learning, and other factors, involved in the initial formation of the relationships between the members of the herd [6]. Hierarchy is important in the herd because once it is established, aggression amongst members is reduced [7].
The following is a link to a short video, that discusses social behaviour in a dairy herd: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvbiMFRjjvg
Social Grooming[edit]
Social grooming, also known as allogrooming, has been known to indicate friendship between animals, including cows, and that the intensity of social grooming is probably related to the strength of the bonds between the two animals, and can therefore be used as a measurement of the degree of friendship between the two.[8]. Social grooming is a common social behaviour amongst herds of dairy cows[9].Bouts of social grooming will be affected by things such as milking times and grazing periods of the cows[10]. Results from a study, performed on two herds of cows observed over an eleven-week period, showed a correlation between the number of times grooming was given with the age of the cow who was grooming and body weight[10]. This same study also showed a correlation between the number of times a cow received grooming from another individual and her age, body weight, and milking order[10]. The findings from this study concluded that social grooming is a form of “friendliness” and leads to social stability within the group of cattle, which in turn, causes a high herd milk production[10]
Overall, it is well known that allogrooming is very much related to social dominance. However, there is debate whether it is performed more by subordinate cows, or dominant cows and why. Some studies state that social grooming tends to be performed more by subordinate cows to dominant cows.[11]. This supports the ‘Grooming-for-Commodity’ hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that social grooming is performed by lower ranking individuals in a herd toward higher ranking individuals for tolerance and other favours[12] However, results from similar studies do not show the same results. A study observing behaviours of fifteen cows had results that favored the ‘Grooming-for-Stability’ hypothesis. This hypothesis suggests that social grooming is performed by high ranking animals in a herd to maintain the stability of the hierarchy and social bonds created in the herd[12] Whether or not social grooming is performed typically by subordinates on dominants or vice versa is still yet to be concluded. However, it is most definitely widely known that all patterns of social grooming are directly correlated with age, body weight, milk weight, and milking order and understanding these behaviours is a significant factor to understanding the social behaviours within a herd[13]
The following is a link to a video showing a cow displaying allogrooming on another individual in the herd : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeOg02GAKvY
Aggressive Social Behaviours[edit]
Aggressive behaviours are most commonly seen at feeding areas and during feeding time. However, aggression can also be a behavioural symptom of stress, frustration, and pain[14]. It can also be a result of fear, learning, and hormonal state of the cow[7]. Aggressive behaviour between two cows involves either butting or actual fighting. Butting is defined as “when one animal uses its forehead to direct a blow at another without any retaliatory action on the part of the struck animal.”[15]. Whereas, actual fighting involves the retaliation of the other cow and she strikes back.
A study performed on twenty-four lactating dairy cows looked at whether or not doubling the amount of feeding space per cow would lead to increased space between cows and therefore result in less aggressive social interactions amongst the cows.[16]. The results from this study signified that increasing the space at the feeder will in fact reduce competition among the cows, therefore, reducing the occurrence of aggressive behaviours[16]. Another study performed on a group of lactating dairy herd proved to have similar results to the previous study mentioned. The results showed that when the cows had an increased feed bunk space there was 57% less aggressive behaviours while feeding than when they had less space at the feed bunk[17]. In both studies, the decrease in aggressive interactions allowed the cows to increase their feeding activity throughout the day[16][17]
An increase in aggressive behaviours can also be seen when stocking density of the herd is increased. Studies have shown that overstocking leads to an increase in competition between cows in stalls and at the feed bunk and therefore, an increase in aggressive behaviours[18]. Regrouping is another common management practice that can lead to increased aggression amongst members of a herd. Results from a study performed on eleven Holstein cows, showed an increase in aggressive behaviours as cows were mixed and a decrease in social grooming[19]. The study concluded that regrouping disrupts both the behaviours and production of cows in a herd and to change management techniques to reduce these effects [19]. Overall, it is recommended that stocking densities at feeding bunkers allow all members of the herd to feed at the same time in order to reduce aggressiveness and competition between the cows[20]
References[edit]
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- ↑ Milkproduction.com. "Cow comfort: 5) Social behaviour". www.milkproduction.com. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ "Untitled Document". www.ansci.wisc.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ "CATTLE | Animal Behaviour". www.animalbehaviour.net. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ "The Social Lives of Cows | petMD". www.petmd.com. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ "Understanding Cattle Behaviour on Small Farms | Farmstyle Australia". farmstyle.com.au. 2011-07-03. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Beilharz, R. G.; Zeeb, K. (1982-01-01). "Social dominance in dairy cattle". Applied Animal Ethology. 8 (1): 79–97. doi:10.1016/0304-3762(82)90134-1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Social Behavior of Cattle: Normal Social Behavior and Behavioral Problems of Domestic Animals: Merck Veterinary Manual". www.merckvetmanual.com. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
- ↑ "Description: "Freundschaft" bei Huftieren? - Soziopositive Beziehungen zwischen nicht-verwandten artgleichen Herdenmitgliedern". archiv.ub.uni-marburg.de. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ "EzProxy - Libraries - Dalhousie University". Dalhousie University. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "Social grooming patterns of dairy cattle | SciQuest". www.sciquest.org.nz. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Sato, Shusuke; Tarumizu, Keijiro; Hatae, Koichi (1993-12-01). "The influence of social factors on allogrooming in cows". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 38 (3): 235–244. doi:10.1016/0168-1591(93)90022-H.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "EzProxy - Libraries - Dalhousie University". Dalhousie University. Retrieved 2016-11-30.
- ↑ Wood, Mark T. (1977-08-01). "Social grooming patterns in two herds of monozygotic twin dairy cows". Animal Behaviour. 25, Part 3: 635–642. doi:10.1016/0003-3472(77)90114-2.
- ↑ Raine, Savannah. "Dairy Cattle and Aggressive Behavior | eHow". eHow.
- ↑ Schein, Martin W.; Fohrman, Milton H. (1955-04-01). "Social dominance relationships in a herd of dairy cattle". The British Journal of Animal Behaviour. 3 (2): 45–55. doi:10.1016/S0950-5601(55)80012-3.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 DeVries, T. J.; von Keyserlingk, M. a. G.; Weary, D. M. (2004-05-01). "Effect of feeding space on the inter-cow distance, aggression, and feeding behavior of free-stall housed lactating dairy cows". Journal of Dairy Science. 87 (5): 1432–1438. doi:10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(04)73293-2. ISSN 0022-0302. PMID 15290991.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Milkproduction.com. "Understanding cow behavior may change the way we feed lactating cows". www.milkproduction.com. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
- ↑ Kalab, Tesfa (2013). "Effect of regrouping on social behaviour and milk production of mid-lactation dairy cows, and individual variation in aggression" (PDF). University of British Columbia.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 von Keyserlingk, M. a. G.; Olenick, D.; Weary, D. M. (2008-03-01). "Acute behavioral effects of regrouping dairy cows". Journal of Dairy Science. 91 (3): 1011–1016. doi:10.3168/jds.2007-0532. ISSN 1525-3198. PMID 18292257.
- ↑ "Cow behaviour and comfort". dairy.ahdb.org.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
