Parra Cerezo Mariana, Brusin Victor, Esteves Trindade Pedro Henrique, Hernández Adalinda, Jung Jens, Berg Charlotte, Paranhos da Costa Mateus José Rodrigues
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP, Jaboticabal 14884-900, Brazil.
Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Etologia e Ecologia Animal (ETCO), Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP, Jaboticabal 14884-900, Brazil.
Vet Sci. 2025 Apr 21;12(4):393. doi: 10.3390/vetsci12040393.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of tactile stimulation on calf welfare. A total of 54 Nellore calves were assessed, with 28 of them receiving tactile stimulation (WTS) for ~60 s and 26 serving as a control. Five body movements and seven facial expressions were scored. Heart rates (HRs) were recorded in three situations: when the calves were placed in lateral recumbency (HR1), during identification procedures (HR2), and after completion of identification procedures (HR3). The differences between HR3 and HR1, as well as HR3 and HR2 were calculated. Initial and weaning weights were recorded, and ADG and weaning weights adjusted to 240 days were determined. Tactile stimulation significantly influenced "head movements", "third eyelid" exposure, "eye-opening", and "strained nostrils". Except for "strained nostrils", WTS calves exhibited higher scores in these behavioral categories. Treatment also influenced the difference between HR3 and HR2 ( < 0.05) and showed a trend for HR3 and the difference between HR3 and HR1 ( < 0.06). A qualitative behavior assessment (QBA) was applied using facial expressions. Two main principal components were identified, PC1 explaining 63.01% of the data variance and reflecting the calves' emotionality, and PC2 explaining 19.88% and reflecting excitability. Most WTS calves displayed positive emotional states and high excitability, whereas most NTS calves exhibited the opposite. Treatment did not significantly impact PC1 and PC2 indexes and long-term performance indicators ( > 0.05). We conclude that tactile stimulation of newborn Nellore calves during their initial handling has the potential to enhance their short-term welfare, but only to a limited extent.
本研究旨在评估触觉刺激对犊牛福利的影响。共评估了54头内洛尔犊牛，其中28头接受了约60秒的触觉刺激（WTS），26头作为对照。对五种身体动作和七种面部表情进行了评分。在三种情况下记录心率（HRs）：当犊牛侧卧时（HR1）、在身份识别过程中（HR2）以及身份识别过程完成后（HR3）。计算了HR3与HR1以及HR3与HR2之间的差异。记录了初始体重和断奶体重，并确定了平均日增重（ADG）和调整至240天的断奶体重。触觉刺激显著影响了“头部动作”、“第三眼睑”暴露、“睁眼”和“鼻孔张大”。除了“鼻孔张大”外，接受WTS的犊牛在这些行为类别中得分更高。处理方式还影响了HR3与HR2之间的差异（P<0.05），并且HR3以及HR3与HR1之间的差异呈现出一种趋势（P<0.06）。使用面部表情进行了定性行为评估（QBA）。确定了两个主要主成分，PC1解释了63.01%的数据方差，反映了犊牛的情绪，PC2解释了19.88%，反映了兴奋性。大多数接受WTS的犊牛表现出积极的情绪状态和高兴奋性，而大多数未接受WTS的犊牛则相反。处理方式对PC1和PC2指数以及长期性能指标没有显著影响（P>0.05）。我们得出结论，在初次处理新生内洛尔犊牛时进行触觉刺激有可能提高它们的短期福利，但程度有限。
