Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves
Abstract Evidence across species supports a relationship between health and social relationships, which may have important welfare implications for intensively housed animals. We evaluated how individual and group-level health factors are related to social behavior of group-housed dairy calves, usin...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91513-y |
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| author | Katie Gingerich Katharine C. Burke Fiona P. Maunsell Emily K. Miller-Cushon |
| author_facet | Katie Gingerich Katharine C. Burke Fiona P. Maunsell Emily K. Miller-Cushon |
| author_sort | Katie Gingerich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Evidence across species supports a relationship between health and social relationships, which may have important welfare implications for intensively housed animals. We evaluated how individual and group-level health factors are related to social behavior of group-housed dairy calves, using social network analysis. Holstein dairy calves (heifer: n = 55; bull: n = 32) were grouped (9 groups; 10 calves/group) at 2 weeks of age until after weaning from milk at 8 weeks of age. To generate social networks, calf positions were recorded continuously using an ultra-wideband positioning system generating undirected pairwise proximity estimates. Individual status and group-level prevalence of clinical respiratory disease, gastrointestinal illness, and lung consolidation were characterized weekly using standard approaches. Mixed-model analysis, following an information theoretic-approach to select predictor values, revealed reduced strength and higher closeness in calves in groups with a higher prevalence of respiratory disease or lung consolidation, whereas individual health status was not a significant predictor. However, eigenvector centrality was lower in calves with lung consolidation during weaning, which was predicted by pre-weaning co-occurrence of respiratory disease and lung consolidation. These results suggest nuance in how multiple health factors, at the individual and group level, influence social network structure in dairy calves. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-38cd2200abc840d39408ca71d1539a2c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
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| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-38cd2200abc840d39408ca71d1539a2c2025-08-20T01:57:25ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-91513-yIndividual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calvesKatie Gingerich0Katharine C. Burke1Fiona P. Maunsell2Emily K. Miller-Cushon3Department of Animal Sciences, University of FloridaDepartment of Animal Sciences, University of FloridaDepartment of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of FloridaDepartment of Animal Sciences, University of FloridaAbstract Evidence across species supports a relationship between health and social relationships, which may have important welfare implications for intensively housed animals. We evaluated how individual and group-level health factors are related to social behavior of group-housed dairy calves, using social network analysis. Holstein dairy calves (heifer: n = 55; bull: n = 32) were grouped (9 groups; 10 calves/group) at 2 weeks of age until after weaning from milk at 8 weeks of age. To generate social networks, calf positions were recorded continuously using an ultra-wideband positioning system generating undirected pairwise proximity estimates. Individual status and group-level prevalence of clinical respiratory disease, gastrointestinal illness, and lung consolidation were characterized weekly using standard approaches. Mixed-model analysis, following an information theoretic-approach to select predictor values, revealed reduced strength and higher closeness in calves in groups with a higher prevalence of respiratory disease or lung consolidation, whereas individual health status was not a significant predictor. However, eigenvector centrality was lower in calves with lung consolidation during weaning, which was predicted by pre-weaning co-occurrence of respiratory disease and lung consolidation. These results suggest nuance in how multiple health factors, at the individual and group level, influence social network structure in dairy calves.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91513-yDairy calfHealthSocial behaviorSocial networksWelfare |
| spellingShingle | Katie Gingerich Katharine C. Burke Fiona P. Maunsell Emily K. Miller-Cushon Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves Scientific Reports Dairy calf Health Social behavior Social networks Welfare |
| title | Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves |
| title_full | Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves |
| title_fullStr | Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves |
| title_full_unstemmed | Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves |
| title_short | Individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves |
| title_sort | individual and group level health factors influence social networks of dairy calves |
| topic | Dairy calf Health Social behavior Social networks Welfare |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-91513-y |
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