Effect of Handling Treatment during Three Days after Birth on the Subsequent Reaction to Humans in Japanese Black Calves

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  • 黒毛和種子牛に対する生後3日間のヒトの接触処理がその後の対人反応に及ぼす影響
  • クロゲワシュ コウシ ニ タイスル セイゴ 3ニチカン ノ ヒト ノ セッショク ショリ ガ ソノゴ ノ タイジン ハンノウ ニ オヨボス エイキョウ

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Abstract

The effects of short-term handling treatment at the initial stage of life on the reaction to humans were examined in eleven Japanese Black calves. Six calves were treated by handling in the form of gently caressing and leading by a human for 20 minutes a day for three days after birth (treated group). They were put out to pasture with their mother on the fourth day after birth. Another five calves were not treated, and they were put out to pasture with their mother on the day of birth (control group). When the calves reached six months of age, two tests were conducted for each animal, In the three-situations test, a calf was put into an experimental pen (4.6×4.8m), and reactions of the calf were investigated under situations of the following three stages: 1) a calf was isolated for 2 minutes, 2) a human stood still in the pen for 2 minutes, and 3) the human walked slowly and steadily towards the calf for 2 minutes. The excitability of the calf was evaluated using five categories in each stage. None of the measurements in the first and the second stages showed any significant difference between the treated group and the control group. On the third stage, the excitability in the treated group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05), and the human-calf distance in the treated group was shorter than that in the control group (P<0.01). Additionally, 67 % of calves in the treated group allowed the human to touch them, while no calves in the control group did so (P<0.05). No calves in the treated group showed defensive action such as kicking the human, but 60% of calves in the control group did so. In the capture test, which simulated actual management work, the time required by two caretakers to capture each individual calf was measured, and the excitability in the calf was evaluated in each procedure of capture work. There were no significant differences in these capture test measurements between the treated group and the control group. However, the excitability in the treated group tended to be lower than that in the control group when the caretakers held the calf in their arms. These results show that short-term handling treatment of cattle for three days after birth does not significantly improve the efficiency of skilled capture work, but it does reduce the fear responses of cattle to a caretaker.

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