Beef Cattle Fighting Beef Cattle Mothering

Professional Version

Most behavioral problems in cattle involve breeding or aggression and are related to poor management practices, confinement, and lack of enrichment.

Increased sexual behavior occurs mainly in loftier-producing dairy cows that are 4–6 year onetime and accept had one–3 calves. These cows unremarkably mountain other cows excessively, human action like bulls, and have a pregnant decrease in milk production. In almost cases nymphomania is associated with follicular cysts, and treatment with luteinizing hormone or chorionic gonadotropin is useful.

Masturbation in bulls normally does non affect fertility. The bull will have a fractional erection, arch its back, and perform pelvic thrusts. Considering this does not lead to increased aggression or reduced fertility, no treatment is needed. Increases in exercise and stimulation tin can reduce the frequency.

Many diseases of bulls can lead to poor libido; therefore, the beginning step in managing impotence is excluding and treating possible diseases. Bulls with poor libido may reject to mount, avert estrous cows, and exist unable to develop an erection. Behavioral causes for impotence include inexperience in immature bulls that endeavor convenance an aggressive cow, bulls that are used besides frequently for semen collection, and the stress of a new environs. Using a new teaser bull or, preferably, a teaser cow in estrus can stimulate these bulls to brood. Assuasive the balderdash to spotter other bulls mounting may increase arousal. Food rewards (eg, molasses) may assistance besides. In many cases impotent bulls should be eliminated from breeding programs, or culling ways of semen collection such every bit electroejaculation should be used.

Buller steers are steers mounted by others. This problem is seen in ~three% of feedlot steers and seems related to both hormonal and crowding factors. Steers are usually implanted with anabolic steroids, most ordinarily stilbesterol or estrogen, which can lead them to mountain others. However, the level of these hormones in the buller is usually lower. In large, overcrowded groups of steers, the number of bullers is higher. This problem may too be related to authority; the more than dominant and aggressive steers mount others. Erection and intromission rarely occur. Both the buller and the mounting steer may fail to gain adequate weight because of psychological stress and increased activity. Removing the buller is the most common solution. Adding hiding places, placing overhead electric wires, providing sufficient food and water to avoid disharmonize, and painting odiferous cloth on the back of the buller also can help reduce incidence of this behavior.

Assailment in cattle is usually a issue of fear, learning, and hormonal state. Aggression between cows is worse than that between bulls. Horned cattle volition bunt (push or strike with the horns) and strike an opponent on the side. Polled cows will use their caput every bit a battering ram. 2 cows can fight for a long menstruum with resting periods in between. Each moo-cow will remainder while pushing its cage between the udder and hindquarter of the other cow to immobilize information technology. Assailment toward people usually includes bunting, kicking, and burdensome. Aggressive and dangerous animals should exist culled.

Bulls are notorious for their unpredictable aggression. Some bulls may mount others, and these may reply with aggression. Such fights can stop with serious injuries and even death, especially if the bulls are horned. Dairy bulls are usually more than aggressive (and besides larger and heavier) than beef bulls. The bull may paw and dig in the ground, and horned bulls may kneel on the front legs and dig using their horns. Because hand-reared bulls are more ambitious toward other bulls, information technology is thought that inadequate socialization may contribute to this behavior. Aggressive bulls should be separated from others and perhaps culled if dangerous to people.

Kicking is mainly a trouble in beef cattle and is seen most normally in heifers. Beef cattle are not selectively bred for gentleness and are handled minimally. These animals tin can be dangerous when placed in pens or cages for examination and may cause severe injuries. Such animals should be handled carefully and potentially sedated. Food rewards can be offered for calm behaviors.

Non-nutritional suckling is a common problem in calves; the suckling calf will suck on other calves or the moo-cow on any available appendage or peel tag. This can lead to skin irritation and even umbilical hernias (if the suckling calf suckles on the umbilical sheath of another calf). Poor nutrition may influence development of this behavior (increasing roughage can minimize the problem). Penning or isolating suckling calves does not solve the problem; the dogie will keep to suckle on buckets or engage in self-suckling. The problem is more common in calves weaned after 6 days of age. Non-nutritional suckling occurs mostly after feeding; providing dry out teats next to the feeding expanse tin help reduce incidence of this behavior. Other means to minimize this behavior include placing a serrated nose ring in the suckling calf, applying repellent materials to suckled areas, and fitting a muzzle. These may prevent suckling but exercise non reduce the motivation to do so, and dogie welfare should be considered.

In some cases, it is necessary to cross-foster a calf. Dairy cows are more likely to decline a new or unfamiliar calf than beefiness cows. Bonding betwixt the moo-cow and dogie is based on fetal fluid and visual cues; therefore, covering the new dogie with drapes soaked with amniotic fluid or the skin of the moo-cow's own dead dogie or blindfolding the cow can help. Encouraging the cow with nutrient rewards can also help.

Reluctance to enter the milking parlor is a problem related mainly to direction. When dairy cows accustomed to milking with simultaneous feeding in a stanchion barn are moved to free stalls and are not fed when milked, they may turn down to enter the parlor. Previous negative experience (eg, mastitis, aberrant electric shock, penalisation from the handler) can also play a part. In addition, irresolute the side from which the cow is normally milked can increment anxiety and fifty-fifty assailment. Providing more grain feeding, a calm environment, and perhaps a preferred cow "mate" can help minimize the problem. Similar problems tin can arise with the introduction of electrical clasp gates.

The underlying cause of food throwing is not well understood. The affected animal grabs nutrient with its mouth and throws it on its back. Ane possible explanation is maintenance behavior that is meant to reduce biting flies in the presence of docked tails. The diet mixture may also play a function; the problem is seen more commonly in cattle fed a total mixed ration.

Natural language rolling occurs mainly in veal cattle and is virtually likely a stereotypic behavior resulting from confinement. The affected calf flicks its natural language exterior and rolls it back inside the rima oris, followed by swallowing saliva. 1 study showed that veal calves that displayed tongue rolling had no abomasal ulcers, while those that did not show this behavior had ulcers. This may point that the behavior reduces stress. Still, calves that showed tongue rolling every bit well equally those that did not had abomasal erosions. Increasing stimulation (eg, adding sucking teats) may reduce incidence of this behavior.

Copyright © 2022 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, The states and its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Was This Page Helpful?

overstreettherreck.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.msdvetmanual.com/behavior/normal-social-behavior-and-behavioral-problems-of-domestic-animals/behavioral-problems-of-cattle

Share this post