The effects of blindfolding on behavior and heart rate in beef cattle during restraint

Use of a blindfold or hood during handling and restraint has been suggested for many wild and captive animals. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of blindfolds on beef cattle during restraint. In Experiment 1, 60 beef heifers, naı̈ve to the restraint facility, were randomly assi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied animal behaviour science 2004-03, Vol.85 (3), p.233-245
Main Authors: Mitchell, Kelly D, Stookey, Joseph M, Laturnas, Darrell K, Watts, Jon M, Haley, Derek B, Huyde, Tara
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Blindfold
Cattle
Handling
Heart rate
Restraint
Vocalizations
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Summary:Use of a blindfold or hood during handling and restraint has been suggested for many wild and captive animals. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of blindfolds on beef cattle during restraint. In Experiment 1, 60 beef heifers, naı̈ve to the restraint facility, were randomly assigned to either visual restriction (blindfold) or no visual restriction (control) and tested daily during a 4-day trial to determine the effects during restraint. Heart rate (HR) was measured via telemetry, during a baseline period prior to treatment and continuously recorded during a 1-min period of restraint, which included some manipulation of the animal. Manipulation was initiated 15 s into the restraint period. Two persons simultaneously approached the animal one on either side, grasped the ears, and touched the neck, sides and rump to simulate normal management tasks. Electronic strain gauges attached to the head gate quantified the animal’s struggle during this procedure. These were used to determine the average and maximum exertion forces upon the head gate during restraint. The association between treatment, sample time (day 0–4), animal weight and the various outcome measures were analyzed using a generalized estimating equation method. Mean HR of heifers did not differ at the end of the treatment (95.04±4.66 bpm ) ( P=0.64), but the HR tended to decrease more for blindfolded heifers compared to controls during restraint (average decrease 16.3±3.2 bpm and 14±2.9 bpm, respectively) ( P=0.10). The average exertion forces applied by blindfolded heifers against the head gate were 23% lower ( P
ISSN:0168-1591
1872-9045
DOI:10.1016/j.applanim.2003.07.004