Time budgets of finishing bulls housed in an uninsulated barn or at pasture

Agricultural and Food Science

Leena Ahola²  Arto Kalevi Huuskonen¹  Jaakko Mononen²  Paula Martiskainen²  Leena Tuomisto¹ 

[1] Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke);University of Eastern Finland

关键词: behaviour;    bulls;    housing;    time budgets;   

DOI  :  

学科分类：食品科学和技术

来源: MTT/Agrifood Research Finland

【 摘 要 】

This study aimed at comparing the behaviour of finishing bulls raised in an uninsulated barn (UB) and at pasture (PAS). In experiment 1, dairy bulls were housed in an uninsulated barn (two groups of five bulls, 32 m2/pen) or at pasture (groups of four and five bulls, 5000 m2/paddock). In experiment 2, Hereford bulls were housed in an uninsulated barn (three groups of four or five bulls, 32 m2/pen) or at pasture (three groups of five bulls, 5000 m2/paddock). There were no differences in drinking, social licking, butting, other social behaviour, self-licking or idling between the UB and PAS bulls. The UB bulls spent more time in lying, ruminating, oral explorative and manipulative behaviour and rubbing and less time foraging and walking than the PAS bulls. The UB bulls performed more social licking and oral manipulation of objects and less mounting than the PAS bulls. These differences resulted most probably from the different feeding regimes and different space allowances.

【 授权许可】

Unknown