ZEWF.htm

NR ZEWF

AU Watts,J.M.; Stookey,J.M.;

TI Effects of restraint and branding on rates and acoustic parameters of vocalization in beef cattle

QU Applied Animal Behaviour Science 1999 Feb 15; 62(2-3): 125-135

PT Article

AB An animal's vocalizations may be a useful reflection of its subjective state of welfare. We attempted to evaluate vocal response as an indication of animal distress. Calves (n = 189) were randomly allotted to four treatment groups in a 2 X 2 factorial design, the factors being Branded vs. Not Branded and Restrained vs. Not Restrained. On four consecutive days calves were brought through a headgate and squeeze apparatus. Restrained calves were caught in the headgate for 3 to 5 s. The remainder were stopped at the headgate but not restrained. On day 5, all calves were captured and restrained. Half the animals were hot-iron branded and half were sham branded using an unheated iron. During branding, vocalizations were recorded. Digitized files were used to generate an audiospectrogram and a power spectrum for each call. We analysed 167 calls. During treatment, 65 calves vocalized. More branded than non-branded animals vocalized (58/95 compared with 7/94, P < 0.0001). Branded animals showed a greater frequency range in the fundamental, or lowest harmonic, of the audiospectrogram, (68.04 Hz +/- 5.33 compared with 28 Hz +/- 8.74, P < 0.05), a higher maximum frequency (186.66 Hz +/- 5.19 compared with 141.6 Hz +/- 6.6, P < 0.01). and a higher peak sound level (P < 0.05). The previous 4 days of restraint did not alter the probability of vocalizing, or any characteristics of the calls. This suggests that measuring vocal response may be particularly useful when the effects of relatively severe stressors are being investigated. The insensitivity of vocal response to moderate levels of stress may offer an advantage over cortisol or heart rate measurements which can reach high values in response to situational factors, leaving little capacity to respond to treatment. Analysis of vocalization may be among the more reliable and least invasive methods of assessing acute distress in cattle. Based on findings of this study, we suggest that vocalization data should be interpreted as statistical properties of a treatment group, rather than indicating the condition of any individual animal. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

AD J.M.Watts (wattsjon@duke.usask.ca), Univ Saskatchewan, Western Coll Vet Med, Dept Herd Med & Theriogenol, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada.

SP englisch

PO Niederlande

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