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This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jas.2008-1136v1 87/1/296    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stanford, K. Articles by Schwartzkopf-Genswein, K. S. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stanford, K. Articles by Schwartzkopf-Genswein, K. S.

Behavior of feedlot cattle affects voluntary oral and physical interactions with manila ropes

K. Stanford^* , R. Silasi, T. A. McAllister and K. S. Schwartzkopf-Genswein

^* Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development, 100-5401-1 Ave S, Lethbridge AB, Canada T1J 4V6 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lethbridge Research Centre, 5403-1 Ave S, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1J 4B1

stanfordk{at}agr.gc.ca

Abstract

Providing cattle with access to manila ropes has shown promise as a means of monitoring zoonotic bacteria in pens of feedlot cattle. Studies were conducted to determine the impacts of climate, animal age and weight, number of ropes, duration of placement, and previous rope access on efficacy of ropes as sampling technique for feedlot cattle. Eight pens of commercial finishing cattle (average 196 + 19 animals per pen, 536.7 + 22.9 kg) were monitored for a total of 7 d in October of 2003 (commercial study). One rope was tied on the pen railing adjacent to the feed bunk in each pen and the proportion of animals within the pen contacting the rope was recorded. In a second study, 80 cattle housed in 8 pens (each 270 m²; 10 animals/pen) were monitored for 1 d /wk using video cameras (video study). Video images were collected for 8 consecutive weeks immediately after weaning (average weight = 252.7 + 30.6 kg) and for 6 wk at the end of the finishing period (average weight 541.2 + 42.8 kg). In the commercial study, the proportion of cattle contacting the rope per pen increased over the first 6 h to 70% (P < 0.05) although approximately 50% of the cattle contacted the rope within 2 h after placement. A 40^°C reduction in ambient temperature on d 6 caused cattle to cease contact with the ropes, although after 6 d of acclimation to reduced ambient temperature, interactions with ropes recovered to 47% of previous values. In the video study, weaned calves required 2 wk of acclimation to the feedlot environment before contact with the rope was maximized. Contact with the rope was most frequent 3 to 8 wk after entry into the feedlot and decreased (P < 0.05) as cattle approached slaughter weight. It is likely that ropes will be most effective at monitoring zoonotic bacteria in pens of cattle during the mid-feeding period where the pen environment is stable and cattle are inquisitive but not highly reactive.

Key Words: bacteria monitoring • behavior • feedlot cattle • rope