21 Jun 2022
Using sensor technologies, researchers found calves reared on farms vary in their movement and space patterns, and use more predictable behaviour compared to others.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
A calf wearing one of the high-tech sensors.
Researchers using sensor technology have found calves reared on farms not only vary significantly in their movement and space patterns, but are more predictable in their behaviour compared to others.
A team from the University of Nottingham, led by Jasmeet Kaler from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, has published a study in the Royal Society Open Science journal indicating the presence of exploratory and active personality types in farmed calves.
Differences in behaviour can impact animal welfare and productivity, and identifying changes in an individual’s personality or predictability can be used as early warning for disease, and as indicators for the welfare status of the animals.
Previous studies have looked at farm animal personality using behavioural tests, but they lacked wider generalisability as they did not observe animal behaviour in the natural environment.
The study from Prof Kaler and the team is the first to use detailed and extensive data on the space use and movement under normal management of farm-housed calves collected via sensors, and these identified “exploratory” and “active” personality traits in the farmed calves.
Ultra-wideband sensors were used with 60 calves at the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Dairy Science Innovation farm.
Prof Kaler said: “Our results indicate that differences not only occur in behaviour expression between calves (that is, personality), but that calves also vary in how predictable or unpredictable they are in terms of their movement and space use patterns.
“It is possible to speculate that unpredictable animals might be less affected by changes in the environment and, therefore, more resilient, while animals that rely on a more consistent pattern of behaviour might struggle to cope with changes.
“I am currently leading a [Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council]-funded project where we use a wide range of individual and social behaviours, measured via sensors and camera technologies, to understand and define resilience, and use these for early detection of disease and have indicators of positive welfare.”
