Temperament Affects Rangeland Use Patterns and Reproductive Performance of Beef Cows

Laura E. Goodman, Andres F. Cibils, Robert L. Wesley, Travis Mulliniks, Mark K. Petersen, Eric J. Scholljegerdes, Shad H. Cox

Abstract


• The American beef industry is paying more attention to cattle temperament, but studies examining relationships between temperaments and grazing behavior or animal performance on rangelands are limited.
• We studied range beef cow temperaments using the behavioral syndromes framework. Cows classified into behavioral type groups on the basis of a suite of correlated behaviors showed contrasting rangeland use patterns and different reproductive efficiency. These differences resulted in temperament-related culling rates over time.
• We argue that the behavioral syndromes conceptual framework could be a valuable tool to advance current understanding about how cattle temperaments are related to grazing patterns and animal performance on rangeland.

Keywords: behavioral syndromes, grazing behavior, calf weight.


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