The Relationship between Chute Behavior and Morbidity in Cattle

Most cattle see a handling chute at least once in their lives. Handling plays a huge role in cattle management, whether it’s for transportation, auction sales, deworming, medical treatments, or AI purposes. Morbidity related to Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD) is one of the biggest causes of economic loss for ranchers and can be related to handling stress. Auction-derived calves (ADC; n=92) were brought to the University of Arkansas Savoy Research Facility for processing and monitoring for behavioral cues and disease. The objective of this study was to find a relationship between the calves’ behavior in the chute and morbidity. The goal was for this relationship to be used to predict morbidity in ADC. Historically changes in feeding behavior and weight gain have been found in cattle infected with BRD. Chute behavior was recorded in an ethogram on two separate days of the study. Blood samples were obtained from a randomly chosen portion of the calves on day 0, 14, 28, and 41 for a haptoglobin ELISA test. Additionally, body weights were recorded for days -1, 0, 14, 28, and 41. The final measure used in the study was the number of antibiotic treatments each calf was given. These were sorted into treatment groups of Once (1 treatment), Twice (2 treatments), Thrice (3 treatments), and Chronic (4 treatments). This study determined that there was no significant relationship between chute behaviors and morbidity in this group of cattle. However, serum haptoglobin concentrations were correlated with morbidity, and body weight was shown to be lower in cattle that required antibiotic treatments for disease. Further study is required to find a measurable link between behavior and morbidity in cattle. The faster producers and veterinary professionals can detect disease, the less it impacts the producer and the better the animal’s welfare. The animal production industry must promote better welfare practices and improve the food industry for producers, animals, and consumers alike.