ANIMAL BEHAVIOR Animal Science G-T Ag Dept. Spring '14

ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
    Animal Science
 G-T Ag Dept. Spring ’14

History/Background
Scientists have debated the intelligence levels of animals for
centuries

For many years we have believed that animals cannot reason, solve
problems, think, or feel emotion.

In recent years scientists have began to rethink these assumptions

Chimpanzees have been observed using tools such as sticks to
collect grubs from decayed wood. Crows have been watched
dropping nuts on the highway so cars will run over the shells and
expose the edible parts of the nuts.

History/Background
A lot of research is going on in this area, and disagreements
will continue.

Still, we do know that animals, whether wild or domesticated,
act in certain ways.

Scientists have long recognized that animals have behavior
patterns.

Many of these behaviors are predictable; animals usually will
act in a certain way under specific conditions.

History/Background
The study of how animals behave in their natural
habitat is called ethology.
The habitats may be the natural area of wild animals or
the pastures, pens, or facilities of domesticated animals.
Ethology plays a major role in the production scheme
of the modern livestock industry because the way
animals behave can be better understood and, in turn,
be used to create a better growing environment for the
animals.

History/Background
Different types of animals behave in different ways

Animal behavior can be divided into two categories; instinctive
and learned behavior.

The most basic is instinct- the behavior that is set in an animal at
birth and causes the animal to respond automatically to an
environmental stimulus.

  Instinct is the result of genetics, and is not something an animal
  learns.

  Ex. An animal is able to stand nurse only minutes after being
  born.

History/Background
Animals can also learn behaviors.

One of the most basic types of learning is imprinting. Imprinting
means that an animal will attach itself to or adopt another animal
or object as its companion or parent.

This usually happens shortly after the animal is born or hatched.
Ex. If a hen sits on duck eggs, the resulting ducklings will accept
the hen as their mother.

Some sheep producers make use of this behavior by placing very
young pups with a flock of sheep. The dog is raised among the
sheep and accepts the sheep. The dog then acts as guardian to its
adoptive family and keeps predators away from the flock.

Intelligence
Different species of animals have different abilities to
learn. This is called intelligence.
The most intelligent animals are humans. Primates are
next in order of intelligence followed by ocean animals
such as dolphins and whales.
As far as agricultural animals, the pig is considered to
be the most intelligent and capable of learning. Some
scientists even rank pigs just under chimpanzees and
dolphins in intelligence.

Learning in Animals
Learning in animals comes about through several means.

One is conditioning, which means that an animal learns by
associating a certain response with a certain stimulus.

Ivan Pavlov conducted experiments which involved feeding meat
to a group of dogs and ringing a bell as the animals were fed. The
only time the bell was rung was when the animals were fed. After
time, when the bell was rung, the animals began to salivate even if
there was no food in sight.

Agricultural animals are also conditioned to perform certain
reflexes. As cows enter the milking parlor, they let down their milk
because they associate going into the milking parlor with being
milked.

Selecting for Domestication
When humans first started domesticating animals, they discovered
that not just any animal was suitable to be tamed for raising.

Animals possessing certain natural characteristics made them
more desirable for domestication- such as animals that had use, as
food, as workers, or as companions. The animals also had to have
certain behaviors that were conducive to domestication.

For humans to raise them, animals had to be docile and easy to
handle. The animals that were more docile were selected for
breeding and eventually developed into animals that could be
handled by humans.

Selecting for Domestication

In addition to temperament, animals had to be
indiscriminate breeders. This meant the animals
could not be paired for life, but that any male would
breed with any female. This allowed for selective
breeding and development of the characteristics that
producers deemed desirable.

Social Behavior

Social behavior refers to the manner in which
animals interact with each other.
Most farm animals are gregarious. This means they
tend to want to herd or flock together. This is the
result of a natural instinct, for defense purposes. Young,
old or weak members of the herd or flock can be better
protected if the animals remain together in a group.

Social Behavior
Animals seem to prefer a certain size of herd or group.

In the 1830’s, Charles Darwin wrote about large groups of cattle (10,000 to
15,000 head) breaking up into smaller groups. Even after being mixed
together and stampeded, the cattle would come back into groups of 40 to
100 heads.

Many cattle producers today divide their herds into this approximate size.

Sheep will band together in much larger groups, some reaching several
hundred.

Pigs in the wild ten to band together in groups of about 10.

Wild horses usually live in small groups consisting of a stallion and his harem
of mares. Other males may live together with one of the stallions as the
leader or dominant male.

Social Behavior
Within each groups of animals is a hierarchy, or order of social
dominance. Some animals within the group are recognized by the
other animals as having dominance, the ability to exert social
influence or pressure over others in the group.

For example, if there are two males in a herd, one male will be the
dominant male which will mate with most of the females. This
dominance is usually established among fighting between the
males, with the strongest and most vigorous emerging as the
dominant male.

Social Behavior

Producers must consider social dominance as they plan
to grow their livestock. For example, males must be
kept separate to prevent injury.
If animals are on a limited ration, they must be
separated or the dominant animals will get too much
feed and the subordinate animals will get too little.

Sexual and Reproductive
        Behavior
All animals have certain behaviors associated with mating and
reproducing.

Most female animals come into estrus (heat) in preparation for
mating. As this happens, females engage in behavior that indicates
their condition. Cows may bellow, mill around restlessly, allow
other cows to mount, or mount other cows.

Sows will mount other sows, appear restless, urinate frequently,
and grunt loudly.

Sheep and other animals show signs of estrus in a similar manner.

Sexual and Reproductive
        Behavior
Males actively seek out females that are in estrus to
complete the mating process.
Often during mating, the males become more
aggressive or belligerent toward other animals and
humans. Some breeds of animals display a behavior that
differs from other breeds of the species.
For example, Brahman cattle usually prefer to breed at
night rather than in daylight.

Sexual and Reproductive
        Behavior
As the end of the gestation period approaches, females display
behavior that indicates the approach of birth.

Sows, if in open pasture, usually try to build a nest from grass, soil,
or other materials they may find.

Cows that are about to give birth usually appear nervous and
isolate themselves from the herd. Sometimes they may even hide if
there is enough cover from trees or undergrowth in the pasture.

A mare usually bites at her flanks, switches her tail, and lies down
and gets back up repeatedly.

Sexual and Reproductive
        Behavior
After the offspring are born, the mothers’ behavior changes. They
most always become aggressive and protective of their young.

Most mothers of agricultural animals recognize their own offspring
and will allow only that individual to nurse.

An exception is pigs. A sow usually accepts orphan pigs if she has
enough teats for all of the pigs to nurse.

With cattle and sheep it is more difficult to get them to accept
young that are not their own. The cows and ewes recognize the
scent of their young and will only accept that smell.

Sometimes producers can fool the mothers into accepting an
orphan by changing the way it smells.

Ingestive Behavior
Ingestive behavior refers to the manner in which animals eat
and drink.

Different animals have different habits or ways in which they take
food depending on the way animals are made- their digestive
system and type of food they prefer.

Pigs that run outside in a pasture or in a lot ten to root or dig in
the group for food. This is a carryover from the time before they
were domesticated, when their diet consisted of roots, grubs,
insects, seeds, and nuts. Even the most modern breeds of pigs will
resort to the habit of digging in the ground with their snout.

Their digestive systems contain a simple stomach, and they are not
capable of digesting large amounts of fiber as the ruminants do.

Ingestive Behavior
People who are not familiar with agriculture animals think of pigs
as animals who overeat. Expressions such as “eat like pig,” “pig
out,” and the like suggest that pigs eat so much they make
themselves sick.

Contrary to the belief, pigs will eat only what they need and do
note make themselves sick by overeating. Actually, given the
opportunity, pigs with eat the right amount of given feeds and
balance their own diet. As mentioned earlier- pigs are some of the
most intelligent of all animals.

Ingestive Behavior
Ruminant animals, such as sheep, goats, and cattle, have digestive
systems designed to handle large amounts of roughages such as
grass or other plants.

Even though ruminant agricultural animals eat basically the same
type of food, they gather and ingest food in different ways.

Cattle, goats, and sheep have no upper front teeth and must rely
on a thick dental pad in the top of the mouth to tear off plants as
they graze.

Cattle wrap their tongue around the plants and tear them off
between their lower teeth and upper dental pad. For this reason-
cattle prefer to graze in forage that is at least 6 inches high.

Ingestive Behavior
Sheep cut off the forage by nipping it with their teeth and dental
pad and gathering it into their mouth with their lips. This is why
sheep can graze much closer to the ground than cattle can.

This behavior of sheep was the basic cause of the range wars of the
late 1800’s in our Western frontier. Sheep that were moved into
cattle country grazed the land so close that in some areas the grass
would not grow back.

This angered the cattle producers because they thought the cattle
protected the land better. Later research proved that cattle and
sheep can successfully be grazed together if managed properly
because sheep eat some of the plants the cattle may not.

Ingestive Behavior

Cattle tend to graze for a longer period of time per day than sheep
do. Cattle usually graze from 4-9 hours a day, whereas sheep graze
from 9-11 hours per day. As ruminants graze, periods of eating are
followed by periods of rest. This time allows for rumination, or
digestion of the plants. During these periods, the animals
regurgitate and chew the plant material they have already
swallowed.

Ingestive Behavior

Although horses eat large amounts of plant material, they do not
ruminate. Instead, their digestive system has a large section, call a
cecum, which processes the roughage.

Because horses have both upper and lower front teeth, they bite
off the plants as they graze.

They usually prefer pasture forage but will eat brushy plants if no
other forage is available.

Animal Communication
The ability to communicate means that animals are able to pass
information from one to another.

We has humans ten to think of communication as being able to
speak and express ourselves within the context of a broad and
diverse vocabulary.

Animals do not talk as we do, but, nonetheless, they do pass
information between them. Their form of communication may be
through body motions, through sounds they emit, or through
smell.

Animal Communication
One of the most dramatic examples of animal communication is
that used by honeybees to tell other bees in the hive about nectar
and pollen sources they have located.

Within the bee colony, certain bees serve the purpose of looking
for food sources and for this reason are called scout bees. Through
a serious of elaborate moves and dances, they scout bees tell the
workers the direction, distance, and amount of the nectar source.
The scout bees also bring back samples of the type of nectar
located.

Animal Communication
Other agricultural animals communicate as well.

Through sounds, chickens call other chickens to feed. A mother
hen uses a certain cluck to call her chicks. Different stances depict
social standing within the flock.

When a sow lies on her side for the piglets to nurse, she grunts in
a certain manner, this distinctive grunt calls the piglets to come
nurse. In addition, pigs emit specific sounds that warn the others
of danger. In the wild or in the pasture, pigs may rub trees, stones,
or other objects as a way of marking their territory. The rubbing
leaves an odor that other pigs can detect.

Animal Communication
Horses communicate through several different means as well. For
example, the direction the ears are pointed can transmit a horse’s
mood. Anger is expressed by laying the ears straight back toward the
neck. Ears that are pulled forward show that the horse is interested in
something.

Horses also communicate through sounds they make. A neigh or
whinny may indicate that the horse is frightened or concerned. A snort
may be used to warn other horses of approaching danger. A squeal may
indicate the horse is angry.

People are able to communicate their commands to horses. Horses are
trained to respond to verbal commands of riders, or they may respond
to a tug of the halter or a nudge with the knee. Good riders or horse
handlers are able to determine the mood or attitude of their horses.

Animal Communication
Cattle communicate by using their voice. A cow that is in estrus
will bellow to find a mate. A cow communicates vocally with a calf
to call it to her or to warn it of impending danger. Cows may even
hide their calves in a wooded area.

Cattle also use body stance to relay messages. A lowered head with
the horns or the top of the head thrust forward indicates the
animal is ready to fight.

A bull pawing the ground is a sign of aggression. Twisting or
slinging the head issues a warning.

Animal Communication

A good livestock producer recognizes animals’ communication and
treats the animals accordingly. The best producers study the
behavioral activities and requirements of agricultural animals and
use their studies to provide safer and more comfortable
environments for the animals.

Producers adjust space requirements to provide animals with the
proper amount of room. The desirable space for animals has been
well researched.

Summary
To a large extent, how animals behave determines their
usefulness as agricultural animals. By studying how
animals act in their environment, scientists can better
understand how to keep the animals content and safe.
Also- this knowledge helps in designing production
systems that can make the best use of the animal’s
nature. By understanding animal behavior, producers
are better equipped to provide for and produce animals.