Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions
Cattle change their behaviour in response to hot temperatures, including by engaging in stepping that indicates agitation. The automated recording of these responses would be helpful in the timely diagnosis of animals experiencing heat loading. Behavioural responses of beef cattle to hot environment...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1125 |
| _version_ | 1797613839586426880 |
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| author | Musadiq Idris Caitlin C. Gay Ian G. Woods Megan Sullivan John B. Gaughan Clive J. C. Phillips |
| author_facet | Musadiq Idris Caitlin C. Gay Ian G. Woods Megan Sullivan John B. Gaughan Clive J. C. Phillips |
| author_sort | Musadiq Idris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cattle change their behaviour in response to hot temperatures, including by engaging in stepping that indicates agitation. The automated recording of these responses would be helpful in the timely diagnosis of animals experiencing heat loading. Behavioural responses of beef cattle to hot environmental conditions were studied to investigate whether it was possible to assess behavioural responses by video-digitised image analysis. Open-source automated behavioural quantification software was used to record pixel changes in 13 beef cattle videorecorded in a climate-controlled chamber during exposure to a simulated typical heat event in Queensland, Australia. Increased digitised movement was observed during the heat event, which was related to stepping and grooming/scratching activities in standing animals. The 13 cattle were exposed in two cohorts, in which the first group of cattle (<i>n</i> = 6) was fed a standard finisher diet based on a high percentage of cereal grains, and the second group of cattle (<i>n</i> = 7) received a substituted diet in which 8% of the grains were replaced by lucerne hay. The second group displayed a smaller increase in digitised movements on exposure to heat than the first, suggesting less discomfort under hot conditions. The results suggest that cattle exposed to heat display increased movement that can be detected automatically by video digitisation software, and that replacing some cereal grain with forage in the diet of feedlot cattle may reduce the measured activity responses to the heat. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:01:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-372f9f6b8a3448a48e4b032d49a98623 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:01:17Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-372f9f6b8a3448a48e4b032d49a986232023-11-17T09:12:45ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-03-01136112510.3390/ani13061125Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load ConditionsMusadiq Idris0Caitlin C. Gay1Ian G. Woods2Megan Sullivan3John B. Gaughan4Clive J. C. Phillips5Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab 63100, PakistanSchool of Veterinary Science, Gatton Campus, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaDepartment of Biology, Ithaca College, Ithaca, NY 14850, USASchool of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton Campus, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Gatton Campus, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaInstitute of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwalki 1, 51014 Tartu, EstoniaCattle change their behaviour in response to hot temperatures, including by engaging in stepping that indicates agitation. The automated recording of these responses would be helpful in the timely diagnosis of animals experiencing heat loading. Behavioural responses of beef cattle to hot environmental conditions were studied to investigate whether it was possible to assess behavioural responses by video-digitised image analysis. Open-source automated behavioural quantification software was used to record pixel changes in 13 beef cattle videorecorded in a climate-controlled chamber during exposure to a simulated typical heat event in Queensland, Australia. Increased digitised movement was observed during the heat event, which was related to stepping and grooming/scratching activities in standing animals. The 13 cattle were exposed in two cohorts, in which the first group of cattle (<i>n</i> = 6) was fed a standard finisher diet based on a high percentage of cereal grains, and the second group of cattle (<i>n</i> = 7) received a substituted diet in which 8% of the grains were replaced by lucerne hay. The second group displayed a smaller increase in digitised movements on exposure to heat than the first, suggesting less discomfort under hot conditions. The results suggest that cattle exposed to heat display increased movement that can be detected automatically by video digitisation software, and that replacing some cereal grain with forage in the diet of feedlot cattle may reduce the measured activity responses to the heat.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1125behavioural quantificationcattle behaviourdigital video analysisdietary grain contentheat stress |
| spellingShingle | Musadiq Idris Caitlin C. Gay Ian G. Woods Megan Sullivan John B. Gaughan Clive J. C. Phillips Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions Animals behavioural quantification cattle behaviour digital video analysis dietary grain content heat stress |
| title | Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions |
| title_full | Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions |
| title_short | Automated Quantification of the Behaviour of Beef Cattle Exposed to Heat Load Conditions |
| title_sort | automated quantification of the behaviour of beef cattle exposed to heat load conditions |
| topic | behavioural quantification cattle behaviour digital video analysis dietary grain content heat stress |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/6/1125 |
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