Presentasjon holdt på Nordic ISAE 26.01.22, via zoom

Johanssen, Juni Rosann E.

Organic Eprints

Behaviour in dairy calves with and without theirdams at pasture27.01.2022 – Juni Rosann E. Johanssen My PhD (aug 2020-aug 2023) • Norwegian Centre for Organic Agriculture (Norsøk), Tingvoll, Norway • PhD-candicate at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway• Three cow-calf projectsSUCCEED (2020-2023), aim: • Establish science based and practically feasible methods to allow increased contact between cow and calf in dairy productionAim with my PhD: • Acquire new knowledge about dairy farming systems with cow-calf contact, with emphasis on cow-calf contact at pastureResearch question• Experiment: What effects does having cow and calf together at pasture have on the behaviour and health of cow and  calf, calf weight gain, cow milk production and composition of milk?Preliminary titles for scientific articles from the experimentJohanssen, J. R. E. et al. 2022. Behaviour in dairy calves with and without their dams at pastureJohanssen, J. R. E. et al. 2023. Effects of dairy cow-calf contact at pasture on calf weight gain, cow milk yield and composition of milkCo-author Johanssen, J. R. E. 2023. Identification of dairy calf suckling behaviour by using automatic surveillance technology on pastureAbout the experiment• 20 cow-calf pairs, 4 groups• Early separation (ES):  - Separated within 1-3 hours after calving- Natural milk 4 times/day till week 6: (offered 12-14 l/calf/day)- Week 7: Milk 2 meals/day, 8 l/calf/day- Week 8: Milk 2 meals/day, 4 l/calf/day- Week 9: Weaned from milk• Cow-calf contact (CC):- Together fulltime for 6 weeks (free suckling)- Week 7 and 8: Physical contact through fenceline(without suckling), except:- Week 7: 2 hours together after milking 2 x day- Week 8: 1 hour together after milking 2 x day- Week 9: Separated and weaned, cows moved to anotherpasture (could still hear each other, maybe see eachother)Animals in the experiment• Calvings 7.May-14.June, birth weight 30-56 kg • Divided into groups by calving date• Age variation for calves: 6-8 days within each group• Norwegian red cattle, except 3 pairs with Holstein crosses in separate groups• ES-cows: 1 primiparous- and 9 multiparous cows• CC-cows: 4 primiparous- and 6 multiparous cows• ES-calves: 6 bulls, 4 heifers• CC-calves: 2 bulls, 8 heifers• Out on pasture when youngest calf in group was 3-4 daysSummer farm in Nerskogen, ca 720 mohES-kalver var herES-kyr og CC-kyr med kalver var herCalf behaviour • Individual direct observations and registrations on pasture• Collars with colours, same colour for calf and dam in each pair • First day on pasture- Two observers- One period of 4 hours• Days in week 3, 6 and 9- One day each week per group- One observer- 2 periods of 4 hours (06-10 & 16-20)- 8 hours per day• Instantaneous sampling• One-zero sampling • Sample point every 2. minuteBehaviours:• In calf hutch• Grazing• Lying• Standing/Moving• Sometimes for CC-calves: Eating silage• + in week 9: Eating hayInstantaneous samplingOne-zero sampling • 30 seconds sample intervalls for 1,5 minute, 30 seconds break (inst.s. in break)• Registered if behaviour happened of not in each sampleBehaviours: • Allogrooming calf-calf• Allogrooming calf-cow/cow-calf (CC-calves) (ex.week 9)• Suckling (CC-calves) (ex.week 9)• Drinking milk (ES-calves) (ex.week 9)• PlayIn addition in week 9:• Number of incidents in each sample int. for:• Vocalisations high pitched• Vocalitations low pitchedFeeding test calves week 8• Three days for each group in week 8• Group test, 30 min per day• Familiar area 6*6 m outside the calf hutch with electric sheep-fence• Four 90 l buckets, 2 cameras• Buckets: Empty, 1,5 kg hay (novel feed), 5 kg carrots (novel feed), 5 kg concentrates (familiar feed)• Weighing of feed before and after each test • Continious registrations: - Latency to approach buckets- Latency to eat feed- Time spent eating feed or manipulating empty bucket• We don’t have the results yet… Nofence-collars• 20 cattle collars - cows• 20 sheep/goat collars – calves• Did NOT use fence function• GPS-positions cows and calves• Accelerometer data activity cows and calves• Accelerometer data suckling CC-calves(Compare with behaviour registrations)  Preliminary statistical analysis of calf behaviour week 3, 6 & 9• Mixed Effects Model on Minitab• Model: y = intercept + treatment + Group(treatment) + Calf(treatment; Group) + week + treatment*week + error• Fixed factors: Treatment, Week• Random factors: Group, Calf ID• Responses: The behavours:- Use of calf hutch, Grazing, Lying, Standing/moving, Allogrooming calf-calf, Play • Will do more analysis later…. AA BADC DB C-10,000,0010,0020,0030,0040,0050,0060,0070,0080,00Week 3 Week 6 Week 9Behaviour in % (mean ±SE) of total instantaneous sample points per day (8 hours ) Calves use of calf hutch, week 3, 6 & 9Early separation Cow-calf contact till 8 weeks- Means with common letters are not significantly different (P< 0.05) according to Tukey’s test - Means with common letters are not significantly different (P< 0.05) according to Tukey’s test B CBAB CCA0,002,004,006,008,0010,0012,0014,0016,0018,0020,00Week 3 Week 6 Week 9Behaviour in % (mean ±SE) of total instantaneous sample points per day (8 hours ) Calves grazing, week 3, 6 & 9Early separation Cow-calf contact till 8 weeks- Means with common letters are not significantly different (P< 0.05) according to Tukey’s test A ABBAC0,0010,0020,0030,0040,0050,0060,0070,0080,00Week 3 Week 6 Week 9Behaviour in % (mean ±SE) of total instantaneous sample points per day (8 hours ) Calves lying, week 3, 6 & 9Early separation Cow-calf contact till 8 weeks- Means with common letters are not significantly different (P< 0.05) according to Tukey’s test B CC B CACA B0,0010,0020,0030,0040,0050,0060,00Week 3 Week 6 Week 9Behaviour in % (mean ±SE) of total instantaneous sample points per day (8 hours ) Calves standing/moving, week 3, 6 & 9Early separation Cow-calf contact till 8 weeks- Means with common letters are not significantly different (P< 0.05) according to Tukey’s test C DA BC DB DA B C DA C0,000,501,001,502,002,503,003,504,004,50Week 3 Week 6 Week 9Behaviour in % (mean±SE) oftotal one-zero sample intervalls per day(8 hours)Allogrooming calf-calf, week 3, 6 & 9Early separation Cow-Calf contact till 8 weeks- Means with common letters are not significantly different (P< 0.05) according to Tukey’s test BBBABB0,001,002,003,004,005,006,00Week 3 Week 6 Week 9Behaviour in % (mean±SE) oftotal one-zero sample intervalls per day(8 hours) Calves play behaviour, week 3, 6 & 9 Early separation Cow-calf contact till 8 weeksProject financingThe Norwegian Research Council, Research funding for the agriculture- and food industry (FFS-JA) • SUCCEEDRegional Research fund Mid-Norway • Kalvelykke (Calf Happiness)The Norwegian Animal Protection Alliance's Research Fund • Dairy cow and calf together at pasture To be continued….

Behaviour in dairy calves with and without their

dams at pasture

https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/44554/1/Nordic%20ISAE%202022%20cow%20calf-calf%20behaviour%20at%20pasture.pdf

Behaviour in dairy calves with and without their dams at pasture

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