title: Social Licking in Pregnant Dairy Heifers.
abstract: Housing affects social behaviors, such as competition, but little work has addressed affiliative behaviors. This study compared social licking (SL) in pregnant heifers housed indoors (in a free-stall barn) versus outdoors (on pasture), and relationships with competition, feeding and physical proximity to others. Six heifer groups were observed during two six-hour-periods in both treatments. The total number of social events (SL and agonistic interactions) was four times higher when heifers were housed indoors compared to pasture (546 ± 43 vs. 128 ± 7 events/group; P < 0.05). SL as a ratio of the total number of social events was similar in the two treatments (12% vs . 8% of interactions, free-stall and pasture, respectively; P > 0.05). Housing did not affect how the SL bout was initiated and terminated, the duration, the body part licked and behavior preceding licking ( P > 0.05). Animals in close proximity showed higher rates of SL ( P < 0.0001) but not agonistic interactions ( P > 0.05). A previous agonistic event did not predict occurrence or the role of heifers in the following licking event. The higher stocking density indoors likely resulted in increased social interactions.
authors.affiliation: Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. gtresoldi@ucdavis.edu.|LETA-Lab of Applied Ethology and Animal Welfare, Department of Zootechny and Rural Development, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Itacorubi, Florianópolis SC 88034-001, Brazil. gtresoldi@ucdavis.edu.
authors.forename: Grazyne
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tresoldi
authors.affiliation: Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. dan.weary@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Weary
authors.affiliation: LETA-Lab of Applied Ethology and Animal Welfare, Department of Zootechny and Rural Development, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Rod. Admar Gonzaga, 1346, Itacorubi, Florianópolis SC 88034-001, Brazil. pinheiro.machado@ufsc.br.
authors.forename: Luiz Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Pinheiro Machado Filho
authors.affiliation: Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, 2357 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. marina.vonkeyserlingk@ubc.ca.
authors.forename: Marina A G
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: von Keyserlingk
keywords: affiliative behavior; allogrooming; cattle welfare; competition.; grazing