Abordaje práctico sobre cómo mejorar el bienestar en los bovinos

Current challenges of humanity require a new paradigm for animal production, and invest time and attention to the development of new production techniques that take into account the principles of sustainability and animal welfare science. To do this, we must be committed to promoting animal welfare and health, ensure environmental sustainability, consumer satisfaction and profitability for producers. To change our relationship with animals there is no need for changes in market conditions or large investments, it is enough to know better the needs of the animals we raise, the management system adapted to its characteristics. Even in the most favorable management conditions, on farms that have technological resources and trained personnel, there is much to change, especially in the daily management of the animals. Some of the risks more evident in the traditional systems of beef production are: problems during parturition, morbidity and mortality of calves, lack of shade in the pastures, improper handling of animals, risk of injury, inadequate infrastructure, poor management practices during routine processing (marking, castration, vaccination, dehorning), poor welfare during loading, transport, unloading and slaughter. To remedy this, you can adopt good management practices, which have been shown to reduce risk and improve the welfare of cattle in different stages of the production chain. The objective of this review is to show some of the risks that reduce the welfare of cattle and examples of how the adoption of best management practices impact on improving the productivity of these production systems. Finally, some indicators for assessing welfare in production systems are shown.Los retos actuales de la humanidad requieren establecer un nuevo paradigma para la producción animal, y dedicar tiempo y atención para el desarrollo de nuevas técnicas de producción que tengan en cuenta los principios de la sostenibilidad y la ciencia del bienestar animal. Para ello, debemos estar comprometidos con la promoción del bienestar y la salud animal, garantizar la sostenibilidad del medio ambiente, la satisfacción de los consumidores y la rentabilidad para los productores. Para cambiar nuestra relación con los animales no hay necesidad de cambios en las condiciones del mercado o de grandes inversiones, basta conocer mejor las necesidades de los animales que criamos, adaptando el sistema de manejo a sus características. Incluso en las condiciones de manejo más favorables, en las granjas que cuentan con recursos tecnológicos y personal capacitado, hay mucho que se puede cambiar, sobre todo en el manejo diario de los animales. Algunos de los riesgos más evidentes en los sistemas tradicionales de producción de ganado de carne son: problemas de las vacas durante el parto, mortalidad y morbilidad de los terneros, ausencia de sombra en los potreros, manejo inadecuado de los animales, riesgos de lesiones por infraestructura inadecuada, malas prácticas de manejo durante procesos de rutina (marcación, castración, vacunación, descorne), pobre bienestar durante el embarque, transporte, desembarque y sacrificio. Para remediar esto, se pueden adoptar buenas prácticas de manejo, que han demostrado reducir los riesgos y mejorar el bienestar de los bovinos en diferentes etapas de la cadena productiva. El objetivo de esta revisión es mostrar algunos de los riesgos que disminuyen el bienestar de los bovinos y ejemplos de cómo la adopción de las buenas prácticas de manejo repercuten sobre el mejoramiento de la productividad de estos sistemas productivos. Finalmente se muestran algunos indicadores para la evaluación del bienestar en los sistemas productivos

Impact of the temperament of Nellore cows on the quality of handling and pregnancy rates in fixed-time artificial insemination

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of temperament on the quality and efficiency of handling and on the pregnancy rate of Nellore cows submitted to a fixed time artificial insemination (FTAI) protocol. Temperament and handling procedures were simultaneously assessed in 798 Nellore cows on the first (d0), ninth (d9) and 11th days (d11) of the FTAI protocol, using the flight speed (FS) and crush score (CS) tests. During the insemination process performed on d11 of the FTAI protocol, the following handling indicators were recorded: rough or overly aggressive handling of the cows by stockpersons (AGGRESSION), accidents (ACCIDENT), time to inseminate (TIME), and the degree of dirtiness on cows'perineal region (DIRTINESS). There was a significant effect of CS on TIME (P=0.013) and DIRTINESS (P=0.004), while FS tended to affect TIME (P=0.06) and the likelihood of AGGRESSION (P=0.07). Cows subjected to aggressive handling and/or accidents had a greater FS mean than cows that did not face such aversive situations (2.07 +/- 1.18 vs. 1.74 +/- 0.75 m/s, P=0.0003). The chance of pregnancy (expressed in odds ratio) was greater in cows with low FS (OR=1.48) than in cows with high FS (defined as the reference class, with OR= 1) (chi(2)=3.73, P=0.05), and the low FS group had 10% more pregnant cows than the high FS group (with 52.59% vs. 42.62% pregnant cows, respectively). Pregnant cows had significantly lower FS means relative to non-pregnant cows on d0 (1.79 vs. 2.10 m/s, P < 0.001), d9 (1.67 m/s vs. 1.79 m/s, P=0.038) and d11 (1.70 m/s vs. 1.90 m/s, P=0.004). We conclude that excitable temperament has an effect on the quality and efficiency of handling during FTAI, by increasing the time required for insemination, the dirtiness on cows'perineal region and the likelihood of aggressive actions by stockpersons. Also, cattle temperament measured by FS reduces the chance of pregnancy in Nellore beef cows. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Effects of sire breed-grazing system and environmental parameters on the behaviour of beef calves just after birth

Effects of sire breed-grazing system and environmental factors on the first activities of high grade Nellore and crossbred Canchim x Nellore, Angus x Nellore, and Simmental x Nellore calves raised in intensive production systems and high grade Nellore calves raised in an extensive production system, after birth, were studied. During 2 years, 185 calves were observed from birth until the end of first suckling, and the following variables were estimated: duration of maternal attention (cow to calf) during the first 15 min after calving, latency to first attempt to stand up, latency to stand up, latency to first suckling, duration of first suckling and the interval from standing to suckling. Data were analyzed by least squares methods, with models that included fixed effects of year and time of the year of birth (March-April (early autumn) and May-June (late autumn)), sire breed-grazing system (Sy), sex of calf (Se), category of cow (primiparous and pluriparous), time of birth, Sy x Se, year x Sy and year x time of the year interactions and the covariates weight of calf, rainfall, air temperature and relative humidity in the day of birth. Calves born from 6:00 to 8:00 h presented the longest latencies to first stand up (40.3 +/- 5.1 min) and the shortest occur from 14:00 to 16:00 h (15.8 +/- 2.7 min) (P 0.05) any behaviour variable studied. As regard to sex differences, female calves did take less (P < 0.01) time to suckle after standing than male calves. Results showed that even purebred or crossbred Bos indicus calves in subtropical environmental need extra care when born on rainy days, especially during the first hours of the day. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Allonursing in river buffalo, Bubalus bubalis: Nepotism, incompetence, or thievery?

Allonursing was investigated in a dairy herd of 30 river buffalo cows and their calves. The primary behavioural variables were solicitations of allonursing by calves and acceptances of calves by cows. The sample of cows included a group of nine half-sisters, two additional pairs of half-sisters, and a pair of full-sisters. All of the calves were half-siblings owing to putative common paternity. Ancillary variables were age, milk-yield and docility of cows, as well as age, sex, weight and growth rate of calves. Three hundred and fifty-one instances of allonursing and 341 of filial nursing were recorded. There were large individual differences in the cows' tendencies to accept their own offspring and non-filial calves, and for the calves to successfully solicit milk from their mothers and other cows. Thirteen of the 30 cows accounted for 97% of the allonursing. Frequent allonursing was correlated with decreased growth rate in the donors' calves. Allonursing was unrelated to kinship or reciprocal relationships among the cows, and was associated with a lack of maternal experience in young cows and apparent milk theft by hungry calves whose mothers were not providing them with sufficient milk. © 1995 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Good Handling Practices Have Positive Impacts on Dairy Calf Welfare

The objective was to evaluate the effects of good handling practices on dairy calf welfare. Forty-eight crossbred dairy calves were assigned to two treatments: conventional handling (CH): calves kept in individual pens, fed milk replacer in buckets without nipples and abruptly weaned; or good handling practices (GHP): calves kept in group pens, fed milk replacer in buckets with nipples, given daily tactile stimulation during feeding, and progressive weaning. Calf welfare was assessed from birth to 120 days of age, based on: health (plasma concentrations of glucose and IgG, and occurrences of diarrhea, pneumonia, tick-borne disease, or death); physiology (heart rate [HR], respiratory rate [RR], and rectal temperature [RT]); behavior (flight distance [FD], latencies for first movement [LM] and to hold the calf in a pen corner [LH], and total time a calf allowed touching [TTT]); and performance indicators (body weight, average daily gain, and weaning success at 70 days of age). Calves in the GHP treatment had a lower HR at 30 days of age, shorter FD and LH, longer TTT, and lower RR and RT than CH (p p > 0.05) between treatments. Based on various indicators, GHP improved dairy calf welfare

Hot Iron Branding of Beef Cattle: Process Characterization, Implications for Animal Welfare, and Its Efficiency for Cattle Individual Identification

This study aimed to characterize the hot iron branding (HIB) procedure by assessing its implications for animal welfare and its efficiency for cattle identification. The study was carried out in two stages: First, with 37 Nellore calves, by measuring the skin temperatures in the place of HIB application (ONB) and 10 cm above it (OFFB) immediately after its application and during four consecutive days, the time required for application of each HIB digit and the occurrences of rebranding; second, with two batches of cows (N = 97 and N = 94, respectively, by measuring the time spent to read cattle ID and comparing the efficiency of HIB vs. EET (electronic ear tag) and visual ear tags (VET) vs. EET. Skin temperature was significantly affected by the interaction between the place where the skin temperatures were taken (on and 10 cm above the HIB) and assessment day, with temperatures in ONB on days d0 and d2 being higher than in OFFB (p p < 0.001), and fewer errors were made when reading EET than HIB (1/97 vs. 17/97) and VET (2/94 vs. 12/94). We concluded that HIB potentially compromises cattle welfare and has a lower efficiency for cattle identification than EET and VET

Maternal-calf relationships and their influence on calves up to 120 days

Objectives. To research parental behavior and measure the weight of Nelore and Guzerat calves up to 120 days of age, collecting data from birth up to the first lactation. Materials and methods. Seven different corporal positions were considered to obtain specific data for each of the following categories: time to stand (TP), time to intend to feed after standing (TPTM), weight at birth (PN), weight at 120 days (P120), and time in contact with the calf (TCC). Additionally, independent variables were also evaluated, organized by class: weight at birth (CPN), number of calvings (CNP), order of calving in relation with the herd (CLPR), time of calving (CHP), and finally, hindering to feed (CTAT). Results. There was a significant result in favor of the Nelore race over the Guzerat race. The statistical averages for Nelore and Guzerat were: Time to stand averaged 71 and 153 minutes; time to intend to feed after standing, 39 minutes for Nelore and of 114 minutes for Guzerat. For variable weight at 120 days, Nelore reached an average of 122 kg, and Guzerat 109 kg. For the time in contact with the calf variable there was no significant variance between races. Conclusions. Results showed the superiority of the Nelore race, considering it better adapted to local environmental conditions.Objetivo. Investigar el comportamiento materno y observar su influencia en el peso de los terneros de las razas Nelore y Guzerat hasta los 120 días de edad, evaluándolos desde su nacimiento hasta el primer amamantamient. Materiales y métodos. Se consideraron siete posturas corporales diferentes, las cuales fueron usadas para obtener las observaciones específicas en cada una de las siguientes categorías: Tiempo para ponerse de pie (TP), Tiempo para intentar lactar después de ponerse de pie (TPTM), peso al nacer (PN), peso a los 120 días (P120) y tiempo de contacto con la cría (TCC). Se evaluaron las variables independientes, organizadas en clases: peso al nacer (CPN); número de partos (CNP); orden del parto en relación al rebaño (CLPR); hora del parto (CHP) y obstaculización de mamada (CTAT). Resultados. Se obtuvo un mejor resultado en los terneros de la raza Nelore en relación a los de la raza Guzerat. Los promedios estadísticos para Nelore y Guzerat fueron los siguientes: TP con media de 71 y 153 minutos; TPTM de 39 y 114 minutos; P120 con 122 kg para terneros Nelore y 109 kg para los de la raza Guzerat. La variable TCC no obtuvo una diferencia significativa entre las razas. Conclusiones. Los resultados demuestran una superioridad para animales de la raza Nelore, lo que permite inferir que poseen una mejor adaptación a las condiciones ambientales locales