animal behaviour. terms to know instinct – (reflexes and responses) what the animal has at birth....
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ANIMAL BEHAVIOURANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
TERMS TO KNOWTERMS TO KNOW• Instinct – (reflexes and responses) what the
animal has at birth. Ex. Nursing, searching for food.
• Habituation – learning to respond without thinking, response to certain stimulus is established as a result of habituation.
• Conditioning – learning to respond in a particular way to a stimulus as a result of reinforcement when the proper response is made.
TERMS TO KNOWTERMS TO KNOW• Reinforcement – a reward for making the
proper response.• Reasoning – the ability to respond correctly
to a stimulus the first time that a new situation is presented.
• Intelligence – the ability to learn to adjust successfully to certain situations. Both short-term and long-term memory are part of intelligence.
MAJOR TYPES OF ANIMAL MAJOR TYPES OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOURBEHAVIOUR
• Sexual• Maternal• Communicative• Social• AgonisiticAgonisitic
• Feeding• EliminativeEliminative• Shelter-SeekingShelter-Seeking• InvestigativeInvestigative• AllelomimeticAllelomimetic
SEXUAL BEHAVIOURSEXUAL BEHAVIOURUseful in implementing breeding programs
Examples of Sexual Behaviour o Cows that are in heat, allow themselves to be mounted
by otherso Bulls, rams and stallions smell the vagina and urine to
detect pheromoneso Flehmen – Male animal lifts head and curls its upper lipo Rams chase ewes that are coming into heato Sows seek out boars for matingo Mares in heat squat and urinate when stallion
approaches and vulva winks
MATERNAL BEHAVIOURMATERNAL BEHAVIOUR
Females taking care of newborn and young animals
Examples of Maternal Behavior o Mothers clean young by licking themo Mothers fight off intruderso Become aggressive in protecting their young
after birth
Cows• Maternal behavior begins at parturition (time
of birth) and continues to weaning• Cows giving birth
• Will seek seclusion, usually in a depression or trees• Cow will inspect calf and lick it clean• Calf stands and starts to nurse after ~ 1 hour• Cow eats the placenta (so as to not alert predators)• Cow and calf rejoin herd after 2-4 days
• Cow is very possessive throughout nursing period• Will come to rescue calf very quickly
• Cows identify young primarily by smell• Sight and sound also contribute to identification
• Time of calf removal in beef herds is very noisy
• Dairy herds – calf is immediately removed from the mother
Pigs
• Sows build nest ~ 18 hours before birth• Time of farrowing - ~ 4 hours• A few sows become agitated and kill piglets• Cross fostering is possible within first few days• Frequently each piglet adopts a single teat
• /www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBB4jEIjGHo
Other animals• Sheep behave similarly to cattle in many
way around birth• www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5VHea4h4PQ• Ewes will accept orphan goats to nurse• Mares also behave in a similar manner
COMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOURCOMMUNICATIVE BEHAVIOURWhen some type of information is exchanged
between individual animalsExamples of Communicative Behaviour
o Distress Calls – Lambs bleat, calves bawl, pigs squeal and chicks chirp
o Dams recognize offspring by smello Farm animals respond to calls or whistles of the
producero Bulls bellow deeply to communicate aggressive
behaviour
SOCIAL BEHAVIOURSOCIAL BEHAVIOURIncludes “fight or flight” and aggressive and passive
behaviours between animalsIncludes interactions with other animals, humans and
behaviour during handling and restraintExamples of Social Behaviour
o Males of all farm animals fight when they meet other unfamiliar males of the same species
o Cows, sows and mares develop a pecking order, but fight less intensely than males
o Cows withdraw from the herd to a secluded spot just before calving
o Almost all animals withdraw from the herd if they are sick
Social Dominance
• Advantage – gives mating preference to strongest males (important for sustaining genetic merit for strength in a species)
• Disadvantage – weaker individuals are sometimes deprived of food if it is limited
• Genetic contribution – appears to be moderately heritable
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5t2bIdN51U
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0u5RK_IL6s
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIggQ9-fpDw
AGONISITC BEHAVIOUR
• Agonistic behaviours are those behaviours which cause, threaten to cause or seek to reduce physical damage.
• Agonistic behaviour is comprised of threats, aggression and submission.
Types of Aggression Seen in Livestock Animals
Here are some reasons why livestock animals may become aggressive:•Pain Induced – An animal gets aggressive when in pain, particularly if someone tries to touch the painful area.•Maternal Aggression – Most female domesticated animals are protective of their young and wary of strangers coming near.•Territorial Aggression – While horses may share a feeding site, they retain control of their home range.
• Female rabbits are very territorial in captivity. They will attack a male rabbit put into her cage, so for mating purposes, the female is taken to the buck's cage.
• Inter male Aggression – This can occur between stud animals, particularly boars.
• Sexually Induced Aggression – Females in oestrus have been known to fight.
• Dominance Aggression – Species housed in groups develop as hierarchy. Even horses have a ‘pecking order’.
Aggression in Cattle
• With cattle it is the bull that is of concern. Pawing the ground with forefeet and snorting while holding its head up are signs of aggressive behaviour.
• An aggressive bull will knock down a person and continue to knock him down or toss him about which could result in being gored if the bull has horns
• Aggressive behaviour in the heifer is more related to breed and socialization. Cows that are handled frequently, such as dairy cows, are usually docile.
• It is the cows that aren’t handled regularly, such as beef cattle, particularly in large herds, that may become aggressive.
• The cattle fight or flight response varies considerably on how often they are handled. A herd of dairy cows will veer away if a human gets into their personal space, however, high country cattle are more likely to run to get further away from the encroaching human.
To read about aggression in other animals
• http://suite101.com/article/aggressive-behaviour-of-livestock-animals-a147397
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dYVv5FIQNI
Classification of aggressive behaviours common to food animals
BEHAVIOURAL CATEGORY DEFINITION AND EXAMPLE
Interspecific aggression1.Maternal defence
2. Defence of territory3. Predation
Mother defends young against potential predator Ewe with lamb attacks dog.Animal attacks intruder-grazing bulI attacks human.Animal attacks, kills and eats another animal-hen catches and eats an insect.
J ANIM SCI 1986, 62:1130-1139.
Intraspecific aggression4. Aggression after grouping
5. Inter-male fighting
6. Resource defence
7. Inter-gender fighting
8. Aberrant aggression
Previously unfamiliar animals are brought together; they fight and a social structure or hierarchy results -pigs sorted by size, they fight.Adult males generally fight to win mates or territory – rams fight during breeding season.When resources become limited, aggression increases cattle fight with limited feed bunk space.Males attempt to mount non-oestrous females, aggressive behaviour ensues-non-oestrous sows attack a boar who attempted a mount.Wool-biting in sheep, naval sucking (all mammals, especially those early-weaned), ear and tail chewing in pigs, fence and pen chewing (all mammals), cannibalismor killing of young, feather and vent pickingin hens and, possibly, hen hysteria.
FEEDING BEHAVIOURFEEDING BEHAVIOURExhibited by animals when eating and drinking
(Ingestive Behaviour)Examples of Feeding Behavior
o Cattle graze 4-9hrs/day, ruminate 4-9hrs/day, regurgitate 300-400 boluses of feed per day
o Sheep and goats graze 9-11hrs/day, ruminate 7-10hrs/day, regurgitate 400-600 boluses of feed per day
o Cattle usually don’t go more than 2kms away from water
o Sheep may travel as much as 5kms a day
Feeding Management
• The feeding behaviour of livestock has a significant influence on growth rates and milk production, health and the quality and quantity of the product being produced on farms
Browsing for feed• If given the opportunity livestock like to browse and
forage for feed. They will take advantage of open gates or holes in fences, this can be hazardous.
•RISKS– Exposure to bovine tuberculosis TB– Injury and death
• They will investigate anything strange in the paddock•This could include hydrants, vehicles etc
TB and production• Carriers
• Possums , ferrets, wallabys, wild deer and pigs • Cattle will investigate the strange dead
thing and this could be a TB infected organism
• This can mean herd movement is restricted and production can be affected.
• TB testing of cattle• Disease control in cattle and deer - Animal
Health Board
Selective grazing• Cattle like to select the best pasture
available to them• The most palatable • The most nutritious
• Intensive grazing systems are based on perennial ryegrass and white clover pastures. They need careful management to remain palatable and nutritious.
Managing Pasture• Cattle left to selective graze would lead to stalky long
unproductive pasture. Leading to a drop in production.
• Strip grazing is often used to manage pasture quality and ensure high milk production.
• Shape of the breaks???? Which is best?
• Rotational Grazing is monitoring • grass growth and how fast stock are eating it.
• Spreading Feed out to reduce conflict behaviour, subordinate animals will not get their share if they have to fight dominant animals for it.
ELIMINATIVE BEHAVIOURELIMINATIVE BEHAVIOURElimination of faeces and urine
Examples of Eliminative Behaviouro Cattle, sheep, horses, goats and chickens eliminate faeces & urine
indiscriminatelyo Pigs eliminate faeces in definite areas of a pasture or peno Cattle, sheep, goats and swine defecate while standing or walking,
urinate while standing, but not walkingo Cattle defecate 12-18 times/day, urinate 7-11 times/dayo Horses defecate 5-12 times/day, urinate 7-11 times/dayo Animals defecate & urinate more when stressed or excited o Animals lose 3% of their live weight when transported to & from
market points (Shrink)
SHELTER-SEEKING BEHAVIOURSHELTER-SEEKING BEHAVIOUR
Examples of Shelter-Seeking Behaviouro Animals crowd together in snow and cold windso Animals seek shelter of trees when it rainso Cattle and sheep seek shady area for rest and
rumination if weather is hoto Pigs find a wet area if weather is hoto In extreme situations, animals pile up to the
extent that some get smothered
INVESTIGATIVE BEHAVIOURINVESTIGATIVE BEHAVIOUR
Examples of Investigative Behaviouro Pigs, horses and dairy goats are highly curious,
investigate any strange object, approach carefully, slowly, sniffing and looking as they approach
o Sheep are less curious and more timid
ALLELOMIMETICALLELOMIMETICAnimals of a species tend to do the same thing
at the same timeImportant in that a producer may observe the
herd with little difficulty, also useful in driving groups of animals from one place to another
Examples of Allelomimetic Behaviouro Cattle and sheep tend to graze at the same time and
rest and ruminate at the same timeo High Country cattle gather at the watering place
about the same time each day because one follows the other
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyyDq19Mi3A