Evaluating the influence of previous handling on cattle chute scores: Development and application of an experience scoring system

Abstract

Beef cattle behaviour in the restraining chute is widely used to assess cattle temperament traits, which have been linked to reproductive performance and welfare outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of animals’ prior experience during management in the chute on their chute score. This study aimed to develop a scoring system to assess an animal's experience in the chute and determine whether this experience influences chute scores during handling. A total of 290 female beef cattle (Bos taurus indicus) were included in this study. All animals passed through a restraining chute 3 times (D0, D8, and D10). All passages in the chute were video recorded. Two previously trained observers (kappa = 0.92) scored all passages using a previously described chute score (1 = passive to 5 = reactive). Simultaneously, a new ‘Chute Experience Score’ (CES) was developed to assess whether the cattle experienced a negative (i.e., aversive) or neutral (i.e., less aversive) event. The CES score ranges from 1 (the animal stays calm, and ranch staff do not touch or yell at the animals) to 5 (the animal is reactive, balks, falls in the chute, ranch staff yell and poke or push the animal), which were then later combined in negative or neutral categories. Statistical analysis was performed in R; a multivariable mixed linear regression was built to assess the effect of previous experiences (D0 and D8) on the chute score on D10. There was no association between the experience score on D0 and the behaviour on the restraining chute on D8 and D10. Beef cattle (n = 21) that underwent two consecutive negative experiences had, on average, a 0.36-point higher chute score on D10. Animals’ previous experience should be considered when assessing cattle chute scores, as integrating prior experiences into temperament assessments could improve the accuracy and reliability of such evaluations.