PSXIII-27 Late-Breaking: Afiliative behavior of dairy heifers on grazing system

• Published in: Journal of animal science 2018-12, Vol.96 (suppl_3), p.18-19
• Main Authors: Sousa, K, Deniz, M, Vandresen, B, Conceicao, R, Butzge, J, Machado Filho, L
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abstracts
• ISSN: 0021-8812; 1525-3163
• DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky404.042

Abstract Social positive interactions, as licking, is thought to have benefits for the animals involved and to help protection and individual care. The literature, however, is controversial regarding a role of social status on licking behaviour. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the licking behaviour of dairy heifers in relation to their social hierarchy. Licking events were evaluated in a group of 19 Jersey heifers from the Experimental Farm of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Florianópolis, Brazil. Licking and agonistic interactions were continuously observed for four hours per day, for twenty days, alternating morning and afternoon periods. For the licks were recorded the executor and the receiver, body site (head, neck, flank and posterior) and duration time. To determine the social hierarchy, we used agonistic interactions and calculated a social matrix to classify the animals as dominant (D), intermediate (I), and subordinate (S). A generalized mixed model with Poisson distribution was used. The frequency of licks performed was similar (p>0.05) in the social classes (D = 32%, I = 34% and S = 32%). There was no difference in the number of licks between animals of the same social class (34%) and animals of lower class to higher class (42%) (p>0.05), differentiating only from the number of licks directed to an animal of lower class (25%). On average, the events lasted 26 seconds, ranging from one second to 235 seconds. The highest frequency (59%) of licking occurred towards the neck. There was no difference in the number of licks observed between the periods (am and pm) (p>0.05). We concluded that the social class of the executor interferes in the choice of the receiver since the animals have chosen to lick on animals of the same or higher social class.