Pair Housing of Dairy Calves and Age at Pairing: Effects on Weaning Stress, Health, Production and Social Networks.
Pair Housing of Dairy Calves and Age at Pairing: Effects on Weaning Stress, Health, Production and Social Networks.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0166926
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发表时间：
2017
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Croft DP
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bolt SL;Boyland NK;Mlynski DT;James R;Croft DP
早期的社会环境会影响动物的健康和行为，其影响会持续到成年期。在欧洲，大约60%的乳牛在出生后的前八周内单独饲养，而其他乳牛可能成对或小群饲养。本研究评估了不同程度的社会接触对断奶应激、围栏饲养期间的健康和生产的影响，以及对小牛后来分组时形成的社交网络的影响。将40头雌性荷斯坦-弗里斯兰小牛分配至3个处理组之一：单独圈养（I，n = 8）、从第5天开始成对圈养（P5，n = 8对）和从第28天开始成对圈养（P28，n = 8对）。从第48天开始，通过在三天内逐渐减少乳汁使小牛断奶，并在断奶前、断奶期间和断奶后三天记录发声作为应激指标。在断奶期间或整个研究期间，健康和生产（生长速率和精料摄入量）不受给药影响。发声是最高的断奶后，并显着高于我的小牛比对饲养的小牛。此外，P28小牛发声显着超过P5小牛。小牛的社会网络进行了测量一个月后，所有的小牛被分组在一个谷仓，使用空间接近记录器的关联数据。我们测试了小牛网络的周间稳定性、社会分化和分类。此外，我们还检测了以下方面的治疗差异：关联强度的变异系数（CV）、与ex-penmate（仅P5和P28小牛）花费的时间百分比和加权程度中心性（个体关联强度的总和）。从第一到第四周，网络相对稳定，并显着分化，个人根据先前的熟悉程度进行分类。在第1周，P5小牛在关联强度方面的CV显著高于I小牛（表明更异质的社会关联），但在第4周没有显著的给药差异。重组后个体与其前伴侣在一起的平均时间百分比从第1-4周开始下降，但治疗对此没有影响。各饲养处理间犊牛的加权度中心性也无显著差异。这些结果表明，早期配对饲养可以让小牛的社会支持的压力缓冲的好处（这是更有效的，当小牛配对较早），而不影响健康或生产，并揭示了社会行为的早期发展牛。
The early social environment can influence the health and behaviour of animals, with effects lasting into adulthood. In Europe, around 60% of dairy calves are reared individually during their first eight weeks of life, while others may be housed in pairs or small groups. This study assessed the effects of varying degrees of social contact on weaning stress, health and production during pen rearing, and on the social networks that calves later formed when grouped. Forty female Holstein-Friesian calves were allocated to one of three treatments: individually housed (I, n = 8), pair-housed from day five (P5, n = 8 pairs), and pair-housed from day 28 (P28, n = 8 pairs). From day 48, calves were weaned by gradual reduction of milk over three days, and vocalisations were recorded as a measure of stress for three days before, during and after weaning. Health and production (growth rate and concentrate intakes) were not affected by treatment during the weaning period or over the whole study. Vocalisations were highest post-weaning, and were significantly higher in I calves than pair-reared calves. Furthermore, P28 calves vocalised significantly more than P5 calves. The social network of calves was measured for one month after all calves were grouped in a barn, using association data from spatial proximity loggers. We tested for week-week stability, social differentiation and assortment in the calf network. Additionally, we tested for treatment differences in: coefficient of variation (CV) in association strength, percentage of time spent with ex-penmate (P5 and P28 calves only) and weighted degree centrality (the sum of the strength of an individual’s associations). The network was relatively stable from weeks one to four and was significantly differentiated, with individuals assorting based on prior familiarity. P5 calves had significantly higher CV in association strength than I calves in week one (indicating more heterogeneous social associations) but there were no significant treatment differences in week four. The mean percentage of time that individuals spent with their ex-penmate after regrouping decreased from weeks 1–4, though treatment did not affect this. There were also no significant differences in weighted degree centrality between calves in each rearing treatment. These results suggest that early pair-rearing can allow calves the stress buffering benefits of social support (and that this is more effective when calves are paired earlier) without compromising health or production, and sheds light on the early development of social behaviour in cattle.
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影响因子：
3.5
作者：
Costa, J. H. C.;Meagher, R. K.;Weary, D. M.
通讯作者：
Weary, D. M.
影响因子：
3.5
作者：
Chua, B;Coenen, E;Weary, DM
通讯作者：
Weary, DM
影响因子：
3.5
作者：
ARAVE, CW;MICKELSEN, CH;WALTERS, JL
通讯作者：
WALTERS, JL
影响因子：
2.5
作者：
BROOM, DM;LEAVER, JD
通讯作者：
LEAVER, JD
DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2014.0311
发表时间：
2014-06-22
期刊：
Proceedings. Biological sciences
影响因子：
--
作者：
Burton T;Metcalfe NB
通讯作者：
Metcalfe NB