EFFECT OF SOURCE AND LAIRAGE ON SOME BEHAVIORAL AND BIOCHEMICAL MEASUREMENTS OF FEED RESTRICTION AND DEHYDRATION IN CATTLE AT A SLAUGHTERHOUSE

Pre-slaughter management of cattle includes assembly on the farm, tran sport, slaughterhouse lairage and handling. Cattle sold at livestock m arkets experience additional periods of food and water restriction, ha ndling and transport compared with cattle sent directly from farms to slaughter. Scan samples of the postural, eating and drinking behaviour s of 92 groups of cattle, and focal samples of the eating and drinking behaviour of 378 individuals, were made during the initial 3 h in a c ommercial slaughterhouse lairage. Cattle from markets spent more time drinking than cattle direct from farms (median 1 vs 0% of time, P < 0. 01) and also lay down more during the first hour, During the 3 h, mark et cattle drank more often (median 4 vs 1 bouts, P < 0.05) and for lon ger (median 32 vs 7 s, P < 0.05) than farm cattle. Farm cattle transpo rted over 80 miles spent more time lying down during the 3 h (median 6 vs 0%, P < 0.05), and more time drinking during the first hour (1 vs 0%, P < 0.05) than farm cattle transported up to 80 miles, Cattle tran sported over 40 miles from markets tended to drink sooner, and for lon ger, than those transported up to 40 miles, Blood samples were also co llected at exsanguination from the focal animals. Marker cattle had si gnificantly greater plasma free fatty acid concentrations (FFA) (mean 0.38 vs 0.27 mmol l(-1), P < 0.001) and showed a trend for greater pac ked cell volumes (mean 46 vs 44%, P = 0.07) than farm cattle, There wa s also a significant effect of overnight lairage compared with slaught er on the day of arrival on the plasma concentration of FFA (mean 0.38 vs 0.27 mmol l(-1), P < 0.001). There was a trend for plasma total pr otein concentration to be greater in cattle held overnight than in tho se slaughtered on the day of arrival (mean 81 vs 77 l(-1), P = 0.09). Cattle transported over 80 miles from farms had greater plasma FFA con centrations (median 0,33 mmol l(-1)) than those transported 41-80 mile s (median 0.25 mmol l(-1))or up to 40 miles (median 0.20 mmol l(-1), P < 0.05). The results indicated that cattle sold through markets were more thirsty and tired on arrival at the lairage than cattle sent dire ct from farms. Market cattle showed some evidence of being more feed r estricted than farm cattle, and this effect was not reversed after ove rnight lairage.