Play in calves - contagion, motivation, emotional lateralization and stress resilience of calves performing play
Abstract
In behavioural science and animal welfare research, play behaviour has been repeatedly discussed as expression of positive welfare and has been increasingly used as a measure to assess the wellbeing of young animals. Indeed play is debated to be pleasurable, rewarding and benefiting the animal with enhanced adaptability and resilience towards stressful situations. However evidence of play and its interrelations with positive emotions and good welfare is primarily correlational and lacking causal proof. Furthermore studies investigating methods to promote play are often based on applying different treatments or feeding regimes that result in physical and developmental differences of the animal. The aim of the present study is to investigate the link between play behaviour and good welfare in dairy calves separated from concomitant effects of growth and physical differences. This will be achieved by stimulating calves to play through contagion, i.e. the transfer of emotional states, and comparing them to calves encouraged or discouraged to play due to high or low milk allowance. Furthermore a series of experiments will be conducted to investigate if calves perceive play as positive and if play enhances stress resilience in calves. Overall, this study has the potential to causally demonstrate the benefits of play behaviour for the animal, validate play behaviour as welfare assessment criteria and thus strengthen the argument for promoting play and positive welfare. Data collection will be conducted through an experimental study at the Institute of Animal Science in Prague. Play behaviour of calves will be video recorded and continuously observed. Motivation and emotional lateralization will be tested by means of behavioural observations in arena tests. Stress resilience and escape behaviour of calves will be measured in an automated restraint test and by using heart rate monitors providing physiological measures.
keywords Calves Play behaviour Contagion emotionale Lateralisierung Stress resilience
Publikationen
Project staff
Christoph Winckler
Univ.Prof. Dr.med.vet. Christoph Winckler
christoph.winckler@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-93221
Project Leader
01.05.2016 - 30.04.2019
BOKU partners
External partners
Scotland's Rural College
Alistair Lawrence
partner
Institute of Animal Science, Department of Ethology
Marek Spinka
partner