Behavioral responses to handling and restraint in dehorned and polled cattle

A total of 96 weaned bull and heifer calves were allocated by sex, breed an d horn status to three management treatments, each with two levels: calves handled every 10 or 20 days; an electric prod used or not used; and calves restrained by the head or not. The behavior responses were measured by five incremental progressive force requirement categories (1 = no stimulus appl ied, 2 = voice and hand slap, 3 = voice and slap with a PVC tube, 3 = tail twist and 5 = whatever reasonable force was required to move the animal for ward) and Transit Time (TT). These progressive force requirement categories were (Snell) transformed, converted to Maximum Force Scores (MFS) and anal yzed as a continuous variable. Transit Time was the time in seconds require d for cattle to move a distance of 11 m in the chute. The response measurem ents were made on all animals on days 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80 and defined as f ive periods in the analysis. Dehorned and polled cattle responded similarly to being handled more or less frequently, receiving or not receiving a rep eated electric prod and being restrained by the head or not. There were no significant (P > 0.05) two-way interactions between horn status and the man agement practices, handling frequency, prod and head gate retainment, nor w ere the three-way interactions between horn status, management practices an d period significant (P > 0.05), indicating that the overall and across per iod. behavior responses of dehorned and polled cattle were similar for the three management practices. Maximum Force Score and TT were higher in the c alves handled every 10 days indicating that the calves reacted negatively t o more frequent handling but they habituated and MFS and TT were reduced as the study progressed. The response to being restrained in the head gate wa s significant (P < 0.05) and an aversion to this stimulus had built up mid way through the study. Cattle reacted negatively to use of the electric pro d as both MFS and TT increased by the end of the study. As the responses to handling, restraint and the electric prod were similar for dehorned and po lled calves, we conclude that if horned cattle are more aggressive the beha vior is ameliorated by dehorning and that breeding for polledness is a welf are friendly alternative to dehorning. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.