Assessing dairy calf response to long-distance transportation using conditioned place aversion

Katherine C Creutzinger; Kendra Broadfoot; Hanne M Goetz; Kathryn L Proudfoot; Joao H C Costa; Rebecca K Meagher; David L Renaud

doi:10.3168/jdsc.2022-0209

Assessing dairy calf response to long-distance transportation using conditioned place aversion

JDS Commun. 2022 Apr 26;3(4):275-279. doi: 10.3168/jdsc.2022-0209. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Katherine C Creutzinger¹, Kendra Broadfoot², Hanne M Goetz², Kathryn L Proudfoot³, Joao H C Costa⁴, Rebecca K Meagher⁵, David L Renaud²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, River Falls 54022.
² Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada N1G 2W1.
³ Departments of Health Management and Companion Animals, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada C1A 4P3.
⁴ Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington 40506.
⁵ Department of Animal Science and Aquaculture, Dalhousie University, Truro, NS, Canada B3H 4R2.

Abstract

Surplus neonatal dairy calves are routinely transported long distances from the dairy farm of birth to calf raisers. Most of the research assessing the effect of transportation on young calves has focused on physiology and health, without considering calf affective states. The aim of this study was to assess the affective response of young male dairy calves to transportation using conditioned place aversion (CPA) testing. Three bouts of transportation exposed dairy calves (n = 95) to transportation for 6 (n = 31), 12 (n = 32), or 16 h (n = 30). During transportation, the trailer interior was made visually distinct using blue horizontal (n = 2 groups) or red vertical (n = 1 group) stripes. Distinct color and pattern combinations were used to create a visual association with transportation. A subset of calves (6 h = 14; 12 h = 14; 16 h = 14) were selected for CPA testing if they were ≥7 and <28 d of age at the time of testing after transport. A group of sham calves that were not transported (n = 13) and were ≥7 and <28 d of age at the time of testing also were enrolled. Wall coverings with the same color and pattern of those in the trailer were fixed in individual sham calf stalls for 6 h on the morning of transportation. Before transportation, calves were placed in a 3-compartment test apparatus with neutral walls and were able to move about freely for 15 min to habituate them to the test apparatus. Calves were CPA tested on d 2 after transportation. During the posttest, calves were placed in the test apparatus with 3 compartments including a neutral center pen (center), blue horizontal stripe compartment (side), and red vertical stripe compartment (side) for 30 min; calves were able to move throughout the apparatus freely. Time spent in each compartment was recorded using continuous observation and analyzed as a percentage of total time in the apparatus. Calves spent less time in the compartment associated with transportation compared with the compartment with no prior association (22% vs. 42% ± 3% of time in the transportation-association and no-association compartments, respectively); however, this behavior was not affected by transportation treatment. Results from this study suggest that calves may perceive transportation to be aversive regardless of duration but may also be attracted to exploring a novel stimulus.