The effect of herd mentality on dairy heifers conditioned to traffic through audio cues
W. T. Russell A , K. L. Kerrisk B C and M. A. Whitty AA Faculty of Engineering, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, UNSW Australia, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
B Faculty of Veterinary Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: kendra.kerrisk@sydney.edu.au
Animal Production Science 57(7) 1569-1574 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN16460
Submitted: 15 July 2016 Accepted: 12 April 2017 Published: 22 May 2017
Abstract
The objective for the present trial was to understand whether dairy heifers could be trained to respond to an audio cue paired with a feed reward. The use of acoustic conditioning to induce cattle movement has not previously been tested with animal-mounted devices to call cattle both individually and as a group. Five heifers underwent testing for 6 days as part of an 18-day field trial (12 days of conditioning). The 6-day testing and data-collection period involved the heifers being called via a smartphone device mounted on the cheek strap of a halter. Heifers were called either as individuals or as a group. When the audio cue was sent, heifers were expected to traffic from a group-holding area to a feeding area (~80-m distance) to receive an allocation of a grain-based concentrate. Heifers were significantly (P = 0.001) more likely to approach the feeding area when called as a group (91% response rate) than when they were called as individuals (67% response rate). When heifers did respond to being called, their time to traffic to the feed area was quicker (P < 0.001) when they were called as a group (77.9 ± 55.4 s) than when they were called as individuals (139.3 ± 89.2 s). The present trial has shown that animals can be trained to respond to an audio cue paired to a feed reward, highlighting the potential for acoustic conditioning to improve voluntary cow movement with an animal-mounted device. It also highlights the limitations of cattle responding to being called individually compared with being called as a group.
Additional keywords: animal, audible, cattle, collar, technology.
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