BEHAVIOURAL ACTIVITIES CHANGES AFTER TRANSITION FROM TIED TO LOOSE HOUSING IN EGYPTIAN BUFFALOES | ||||
| Menoufia Journal of Animal Poultry and Fish Production | ||||
| Article 9, Volume 8, Issue 4, July 2024, Page 35-46 PDF (419.54 K) | ||||
| Document Type: Original Article | ||||
| DOI: 10.21608/mjapfp.2024.293203.1019 | ||||
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| Authors | ||||
Elsayed E. Eldahshan1; Samier H. El-Kaschab1; Elham M. Ghoneim1; magdy gamal elshahawy  2
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| 1Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Menoufia University. | ||||
| 2Faculty of Agriculture, Shebin El-Kom, Menoufia University, Department of Animal Production | ||||
| Abstract | ||||
| Sixteen Egyptian buffaloes, 8 lactating buffalo cows and 8 heifers, were located at the animal behaviour research unit, belonging to the faculty of agriculture, Menoufia University, Shebin El-kom, Egypt, randomly chosen to study the behavioural reaction of the Egyptian lactating buffalo and heifers to release from the restriction. Animals were kept in closed housing system in tie-stall barn with hard surface permanently; they were released from restraints at 10 am for 5 hours/a day for 7 days. Released animals were monitored by video recording system for 5 hours/a day for 7 days, with a total observation time of 560 hour, using complete digital behavioural observation unit. The studied behaviours differed between lactating buffaloes and heifers. The heifers tend to lie down (0.40 time/ h. and 3.56 min. / h.) and eat more (3.00 time/ h. and 16.20 min. / h.) than lactating buffaloes (lie down 0.10time/ h. and 0.87 min. and eat 1.26 time/ h. and 7.57 min. / h.) during the first five hours after tie releasing; Also, in terms of social behaviour, the heifers recorded higher numbers for playing behaviour (3.76 time/h. and 3.78 min. /h.) compared to the lactating buffaloes (1.83 time/h. and 0.38 min. /h.), but the lactating buffaloes was higher in agonistic and affiliative behaviours than the heifers, but not significantly. During the first hours after being untethered, the animals (the lactating buffaloes and the heifer) were preoccupied with social behaviour (playing, agonistic and affiliative) rather than daily activities such as eating, ruminating and lying down. However, this trend decreases over time and moves towards stability and they tended to practice all their behaviours in a natural balance. | ||||
| Keywords | ||||
| Buffalo; housing system; Released animals; social behaviour | ||||
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