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Feedlot Cattle Can Brush Their Stresses Away
Published with permission from Murdoch University
Feedlot cattle with access to grooming brushes are generally more content, sociable and have less stress, according to recent research out of Murdoch University’s Centre for Animal Production and Health.
They also have reduced aggression, suggesting brushes may permit a more harmonious feedlot environment.
Associate Professor in Animal Welfare and Ethics, Teresa Collins said her team had investigated ways to improve the welfare of cattle in feedlots, focusing on approaches within routine farming systems.
“There is an increasing trend to prepare beef cattle for market in feedlots in Australia, with numbers sitting above 1.4 million in 2024 - and these can be regarded as barren environments when compared to pasture-based farms,” Associate Professor Collins said.
“Our team investigated how to improve the welfare of cattle within a feedlot context, in a way that is relatively practical to implement.
“We found that installing cattle brushes can be a simple and cost-effective way to improve their welfare, without leading to negative impacts like reduced weight gain.”
The study looked at the behaviour and production of about 170 cattle in a feedlot, comparing those in pens with enrichment in the form of a large, upright cattle-grooming brush, and those without, over 100 days.
Cattle with access to the brush exhibited more positive demeanour than those with no brush.
The research team was surprised to find the frequency and duration of brush use did not decrease over the study period, suggesting the cattle valued this form of enrichment for providing long-term mental and physical stimulation.
“Interestingly, the cattle were also observed to engage in play behaviour more frequently. As cattle are a social species, this is an important sign of positive wellbeing,” Associate Professor Collins said.
“These types of studies attempt to increase the understanding of what positive animal welfare looks like in farmed cattle. Despite the need for confinement for maximising growth, it is important to provide opportunities for cattle to groom themselves and each other to maintain overall wellbeing.
“Less stressed cattle will likely ensure safer interactions between producers and their animals, and also better-quality meat. Providing environmental enrichment helps promote natural behaviour which supports long term productivity and farm sustainability, while mitigating societal concerns for cattle farmed in feedlots.”
“The use of the cattle brush is an example of how producers can put into practice one of the stated goals in the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework (ABSF), which creates a pathway of best practice for the Australian beef industry, without a lot of expense or labour.”
This pilot study was carried out in two pens on one farm in Lake Preston in Western Australia.
The full published research is available in Frontiers in Animal Science.
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
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