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Animals
Special Issues
The Role of Social Behavior in Cattle Welfare
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The Role of Social Behavior in Cattle Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Cattle".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 8070

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Benjamin Lecorps

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z6, Canada
Interests: animal welfare; affective states; dairy cattle; social behaviors; cognition; depressive-like states
Dr. Kathryn Proudfoot

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Animal Welfare Centre at the Atlantic Veterinary College, The University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Ave, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada
Interests: animal welfare; dairy cattle; social behaviors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The social environment is a major contributor to the welfare of farm animals. Cattle are gregarious, and group-housing is usually assumed to provide benefits. However, depending on various factors, such as housing conditions and social dynamics, the social environment can also act as a continuous source of stress. This dual aspect makes the study of social behaviors an exciting topic of research and an excellent target to improve the lives of cattle housed in various husbandry systems. The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a forum for research investigating how the social environment affects the welfare of cattle. We are interested in research investigating all aspects of social behaviors of cattle that have direct or indirect implications for the welfare of these animals. We invite original research papers that address these aspects in both dairy and beef cattle.

Topics can include but are not limited to 1) the link between housing, social behaviors, and welfare in cattle, 2) benefits that arise from living in a social group, 3) the establishment and maintenance of social relationships and social bonds, 4) the effects of social structure on cattle behavior, and 5) the relationship between social behaviors, affective states, and/or health.

Dr. Benjamin Lecorps
Dr. Kathryn Proudfoot
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cattle welfare
  • Social behaviors
  • Social status
  • Social hierarchy
  • Agonistic behaviors
  • Prosocial/affiliative behaviors
  • Housing
  • Social environment
  • Social stress
  • Competition
  • Cooperation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 5080 KiB  
Article
Impact of Stationary Brush Quantity on Brush Use in Group-Housed Dairy Heifers
by Faith S. Reyes, Amanda R. Gimenez, Kaylee M. Anderson, Emily K. Miller-Cushon, Joao R. Dorea and Jennifer M. C. Van Os
Animals 2022, 12(8), 972; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12080972 - 8 Apr 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3155
Abstract
Our objectives were to evaluate the effect of stationary brush quantity on brush use and competition in weaned dairy heifers naïve to brushes. Sixty-three Holstein heifers (95 ± 5.7 days old) were housed in groups of eight (with the exception of 1 group [...] Read more.
Our objectives were to evaluate the effect of stationary brush quantity on brush use and competition in weaned dairy heifers naïve to brushes. Sixty-three Holstein heifers (95 ± 5.7 days old) were housed in groups of eight (with the exception of 1 group of 7) with two or four stationary brushes (n = 4 groups/treatment). Brush-directed behaviors of grooming, oral manipulation, and displacements were recorded continuously for all heifers 0–6, 18–24, 120–126 and 138–144 h after brush exposure. Linear mixed models were used to evaluate the effects of brush quantity and exposure duration. Total brush use and competition were not affected by brush quantity, but heifers with access to more brushes used them for longer bouts, suggesting greater opportunity for uninterrupted use. Total brush use was greater in the first and final 6 h observation periods, which was driven by the greatest duration of oral manipulation and grooming in those respective periods. The continued use of brushes by all heifers in the final period indicates the importance of providing appropriate outlets for these natural behaviors to promote animal welfare. The effect of brush quantity on bout characteristics suggests that brush use was less restricted with four compared to two brushes per eight heifers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Social Behavior in Cattle Welfare)
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13 pages, 1128 KiB  
Article
Effects of Social Housing on Dairy Calf Social Bonding
by Emily E. Lindner, Katie N. Gingerich, Katharine C. Burke, Samantha B. Doyle and Emily K. Miller-Cushon
Animals 2022, 12(7), 821; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12070821 - 24 Mar 2022
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3781
Abstract
Social housing for dairy calves has a range of benefits for social development, yet there is limited understanding of how social bonds form early in life. We characterized effects of early life social contact on the development of social preference for calves varying [...] Read more.
Social housing for dairy calves has a range of benefits for social development, yet there is limited understanding of how social bonds form early in life. We characterized effects of early life social contact on the development of social preference for calves varying in familiarity. A total of 40 calves were tested in a social preference test at 4 weeks of age to assess the formation of social bonds and preference for their peers. Within an open-field social preference test, focal calves were presented with two stimulus calves, one ‘more familiar’ and one ‘less familiar’. We found that pair-housed calves spent more time in close proximity with either stimulus calf and had a greater preference for their pen-mate, compared to another calf reared within visual contact. Individually housed calves exhibited no preference for calves reared within visual but not physical contact compared to calves that were completely unfamiliar. Of the calves that approached both stimulus calves, individually housed calves that approached the ‘less familiar’ calf first spent less time near the ‘more familiar’ calf, whereas behavior of pair-housed calves was not affected by the first calf approached. These results suggest that physical contact is necessary for the development of social bonds in young dairy calves, and early life social housing may support the development of normal social behavior in dairy cattle. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Social Behavior in Cattle Welfare)
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