Understanding social interactions and social preference among dairy cows is crucial for ensuring herd welfare and productivity. Our study aims to assess how genetic kinship and age within a herd of cows influences their social bonds through the application of Social Network Analysis (SNA). We investigated the social behaviour of 329 dairy cows during milking sessions in a free cow traffic barn equipped with an Automatic Milking System, and we compared their social behaviour during their first lactation and during subsequent lactations. Consistent social bonds were identified by measuring the time gap between consecutive entries of two cows into the same milking robot. If this time gap was less than 10 minutes, we considered it an association between the two cows, as it is highly likely that they were queuing together. We computed association indices between each pair of cows to estimate the proportion of time any two individuals associated and we built the association networks. Genetic kinship among cows was evaluated considering pedigree data of three generations of ancestors and integrated with SNA results. Our findings revealed the dynamic nature of cows' social behaviour, revealing that their preferences evolve over time. Specifically, younger cows demonstrated a tendency to form stronger social associations with specific individuals, influenced by genetic relatedness. In contrast, the higher number of connections observed in older cows suggests that they tended to be more socially connected with their herd mates. Additionally, they exhibited a preference for interacting with peers of similar age rather than with relatives.
The influence of genetic relatedness on dairy cows' social behaviour in Automatic Milking Systems
Moretti R.First
;Ozella L.
;Chessa S.;Ponzo E.;Sacchi P.Last
2024-01-01
Abstract
Understanding social interactions and social preference among dairy cows is crucial for ensuring herd welfare and productivity. Our study aims to assess how genetic kinship and age within a herd of cows influences their social bonds through the application of Social Network Analysis (SNA). We investigated the social behaviour of 329 dairy cows during milking sessions in a free cow traffic barn equipped with an Automatic Milking System, and we compared their social behaviour during their first lactation and during subsequent lactations. Consistent social bonds were identified by measuring the time gap between consecutive entries of two cows into the same milking robot. If this time gap was less than 10 minutes, we considered it an association between the two cows, as it is highly likely that they were queuing together. We computed association indices between each pair of cows to estimate the proportion of time any two individuals associated and we built the association networks. Genetic kinship among cows was evaluated considering pedigree data of three generations of ancestors and integrated with SNA results. Our findings revealed the dynamic nature of cows' social behaviour, revealing that their preferences evolve over time. Specifically, younger cows demonstrated a tendency to form stronger social associations with specific individuals, influenced by genetic relatedness. In contrast, the higher number of connections observed in older cows suggests that they tended to be more socially connected with their herd mates. Additionally, they exhibited a preference for interacting with peers of similar age rather than with relatives.
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