Impacts of the loss of environmental enrichment on grazing beef cattle

Abstract

The aim was to investigate the effects of enrichment loss (specifically a grooming brush) on the behaviour and stress response of cattle when housed at pasture.<br> Angus steers (n = 48) were housed at pasture in 8 groups (n = 6 /group) and tested over 2 cohorts. Cattle were provided with access to a grooming brush for 3 weeks, before access will be denied for a period of 7 days, using sheep panels to block access. Animals were then allowed access for up to 7 days to observe any rebound effects. Measures taken over the duration of the experiment include standing/lying time and number of steps (obtained automatically using IceQubes), coat cleanliness, ADG, and faecal cortisol concentrations (at least weekly, when cattle were health-check in nearby yards). Live behavioural observations consisted of four consecutive four-hour sessions a week - 2 in the morning (Cohort 1: 6:30-10:30; Cohort 2: 07:00-11:00) and 2 in the afternoon (Cohort 1: 15:45-19:45; Cohort 2: 15:00-19:00).