Effects of Human-Animal Interaction on Growth Performance and Serum Immune,Stress and Biochemical Indices of Newborn Calves
The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of human-animal interaction on growth per-formance and serum immune,stress and biochemical indices of newborn calves.Thirty-two healthy newborn Holstein female calves with similar birth weight were randomly divided into 4 groups with 8 replicates per group and 1 calf per replicate.In the massage group(HM group),calves were continuously massaged by the experi-menter on the lower part of their necks(60 times/min);in the brushing group(HB group),calves were con-tinuously brushed on the lower part of their necks using a small body brush by the experimenter(60 times/min);in the simple interaction group(HI group),calves were approached by the experimenter for 10 intermittent contacts on the back while they were standing(5 times/min);in the control group(CON group),calves did not receive any human-animal interaction.The testing period lasted for 14 days,with two times of human-animal interaction per day(10:00 and 16:00)for 2 minutes in each time.During the test,the growth performance of calves was measured,and collected the blood samples on day 1 and day 14 to measure the serum immune,stress and biochemical indices.The results showed as follows:1)there was no significant difference in the growth performance of calves among all groups(P＞0.05).2)The serum immunoglobulin A(IgA)content of the brushing group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P＜0.05).3)Compared to 1 day of age,after 14 days of human-animal interaction,the increase extent of serum IgA content of brushing group,massage group and control group was significantly higher than that of the simple interaction group(P＜0.05),the increase extent of serum interleukin-10 content of brushing group and massage group was significantly higher than that of the simple interaction group(P＜0.05),and the decrease extent of serum corti-sol content of brushing group,massage group and simple interaction group was significantly higher than that of the control group(P＜0.05).In conclusion,the body brush swabbing can enhance the immunity and reduce the stress levels of newborn calves,suggesting that body brush swabbing may represent an effective interaction to improve newborn calves'health and welfare.[Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition,2024,36(6):3781-3788]
万方数据
维普
