Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System
The social category of dairy cows within a herd may influence their access to essential heat abatement resources. We evaluated how dominant, intermediate, and subordinate cows used shade and water in a silvopastoral system. Thirty-nine lactating Jersey cows were observed in a replicated study. Cows...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Matheus Deniz Amanda Ribeiro Sena Karolini Tenffen De-Sousa Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira Estevam Rodrigues de Souza Maria José Hötzel João Ricardo Dittrich |
| author_facet | Matheus Deniz Amanda Ribeiro Sena Karolini Tenffen De-Sousa Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira Estevam Rodrigues de Souza Maria José Hötzel João Ricardo Dittrich |
| author_sort | Matheus Deniz |
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| description | The social category of dairy cows within a herd may influence their access to essential heat abatement resources. We evaluated how dominant, intermediate, and subordinate cows used shade and water in a silvopastoral system. Thirty-nine lactating Jersey cows were observed in a replicated study. Cows had unrestricted access to natural shade and a water trough. Microclimatic conditions and cow behaviors were recorded, and social rank was determined. Sunny areas promoted potential thermal discomfort for the cows, with higher heat load (on average 580.7 W/m<sup>2</sup>) than shaded areas (on average 438.6 W/m<sup>2</sup>). Intermediate (IRR: 2.07) and subordinate (IRR: 1.63) cows were more likely (<i>p</i> < 0.001) to visit the water trough than dominant cows. The odds of drinking water decreased by 13% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) for each hour that passed throughout the day. In contrast, the odds of using shaded areas increased by 7% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) for each increase in hour unit. Although all cows used the shaded areas at some point, they generally spent more time standing than lying down in the shade. Social category and hour influenced (<i>p</i> < 0.001) the behaviors in the shaded areas, with dominant cows more likely to engage in lying behaviors such as idling and rumination. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that cows’ social category and thermal environment influenced the use of shade and drinking water. Although the overall pattern of resource use increased with rising thermal load, the proportion of use varied according to social category. Ensuring multiple or alternative resources may help meet the needs of cows across social ranks and improve thermal comfort during heat stress periods. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-0bc875ce69ff40219fe88b26c73e42922025-08-20T02:24:22ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-06-011512179110.3390/ani15121791Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral SystemMatheus Deniz0Amanda Ribeiro Sena1Karolini Tenffen De-Sousa2Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira3Estevam Rodrigues de Souza4Maria José Hötzel5João Ricardo Dittrich6Grupo de Estudos em Bovinos Leiteiros, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-681, São Paulo, BrazilGrupo de Estudos em Bovinos Leiteiros, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-681, São Paulo, BrazilGrupo de Estudos em Bovinos Leiteiros, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-681, São Paulo, BrazilGrupo de Estudos em Biometeorologia, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Dois Vizinhos 85660-000, Paraná, BrazilGrupo de Estudos em Bovinos Leiteiros, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Botucatu 18618-681, São Paulo, BrazilLaboratório de Etologia Aplicada e Bem-Estar Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis 88034-000, Santa Catarina, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba 80035-050, Paraná, BrazilThe social category of dairy cows within a herd may influence their access to essential heat abatement resources. We evaluated how dominant, intermediate, and subordinate cows used shade and water in a silvopastoral system. Thirty-nine lactating Jersey cows were observed in a replicated study. Cows had unrestricted access to natural shade and a water trough. Microclimatic conditions and cow behaviors were recorded, and social rank was determined. Sunny areas promoted potential thermal discomfort for the cows, with higher heat load (on average 580.7 W/m<sup>2</sup>) than shaded areas (on average 438.6 W/m<sup>2</sup>). Intermediate (IRR: 2.07) and subordinate (IRR: 1.63) cows were more likely (<i>p</i> < 0.001) to visit the water trough than dominant cows. The odds of drinking water decreased by 13% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) for each hour that passed throughout the day. In contrast, the odds of using shaded areas increased by 7% (<i>p</i> < 0.001) for each increase in hour unit. Although all cows used the shaded areas at some point, they generally spent more time standing than lying down in the shade. Social category and hour influenced (<i>p</i> < 0.001) the behaviors in the shaded areas, with dominant cows more likely to engage in lying behaviors such as idling and rumination. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that cows’ social category and thermal environment influenced the use of shade and drinking water. Although the overall pattern of resource use increased with rising thermal load, the proportion of use varied according to social category. Ensuring multiple or alternative resources may help meet the needs of cows across social ranks and improve thermal comfort during heat stress periods.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/12/1791animal welfarebiometeorologysocial behaviorthermal comfort |
| spellingShingle | Matheus Deniz Amanda Ribeiro Sena Karolini Tenffen De-Sousa Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira Estevam Rodrigues de Souza Maria José Hötzel João Ricardo Dittrich Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System Animals animal welfare biometeorology social behavior thermal comfort |
| title | Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System |
| title_full | Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System |
| title_fullStr | Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System |
| title_full_unstemmed | Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System |
| title_short | Herd Dominance Influences Dairy Cows’ Use of Heat Abatement Resources in a Silvopastoral System |
| title_sort | herd dominance influences dairy cows use of heat abatement resources in a silvopastoral system |
| topic | animal welfare biometeorology social behavior thermal comfort |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/12/1791 |
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