The availability of outdoor spaces enhances social play in dairy cows

IF 1.8 3区农林科学 Q1 VETERINARY SCIENCES

Research in veterinary science Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.rvsc.2025.106048

Alfredo Di Lucrezia , Daria Lotito , Valeria Iervolino , Pietro Lombardi , Biagio D'Aniello , Vincenzo Mastellone

{"title":"The availability of outdoor spaces enhances social play in dairy cows","authors":"Alfredo Di Lucrezia , Daria Lotito , Valeria Iervolino , Pietro Lombardi , Biagio D'Aniello , Vincenzo Mastellone","doi":"10.1016/j.rvsc.2025.106048","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social behaviors are widely recognized as valuable indicators of animal welfare. This study examined the behavioral profiles of two groups of cows: one with daytime access to an open outdoor area and one housed exclusively in a free-stall barn. Observations were conducted when both groups were in the same indoor environment, allowing for a direct comparison of their behavioral expressions. Cows with outdoor access engaged significantly more in social play, while no statistically significant differences were observed for other social behaviors such as allogrooming, social rubbing, or submission/avoidance. Since play behavior typically emerges under favorable psychological conditions, these findings suggest that outdoor access during the day contributes to enhanced psychological wellbeing, with positive effects that persist even when cows return to the confined barn setting. In contrast, negative social interactions such as submission/ avoidance were expressed at similar levels across both groups, indicating that access to open space may not be sufficient to mitigate all forms of social stress.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":21083,"journal":{"name":"Research in veterinary science","volume":"201 ","pages":"Article 106048"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Research in veterinary science","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034528825005223","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Social behaviors are widely recognized as valuable indicators of animal welfare. This study examined the behavioral profiles of two groups of cows: one with daytime access to an open outdoor area and one housed exclusively in a free-stall barn. Observations were conducted when both groups were in the same indoor environment, allowing for a direct comparison of their behavioral expressions. Cows with outdoor access engaged significantly more in social play, while no statistically significant differences were observed for other social behaviors such as allogrooming, social rubbing, or submission/avoidance. Since play behavior typically emerges under favorable psychological conditions, these findings suggest that outdoor access during the day contributes to enhanced psychological wellbeing, with positive effects that persist even when cows return to the confined barn setting. In contrast, negative social interactions such as submission/ avoidance were expressed at similar levels across both groups, indicating that access to open space may not be sufficient to mitigate all forms of social stress.

查看原文本刊更多论文

室外空间的可用性增强了奶牛的社交性

社会行为被广泛认为是动物福利的有价值的指标。这项研究检查了两组奶牛的行为特征：一组白天可以进入露天区域，另一组只饲养在自由马厩里。观察时，两组在相同的室内环境，允许直接比较他们的行为表达。有户外活动的奶牛明显更多地参与社交游戏，而在其他社交行为（如异体梳理、社交摩擦或服从/回避）方面没有统计学上的显著差异。由于玩耍行为通常出现在良好的心理条件下，这些研究结果表明，白天的户外活动有助于增强心理健康，即使奶牛回到密闭的谷仓环境，其积极影响也会持续存在。相比之下，消极的社会互动，如服从/回避，在两个群体中表达的水平相似，这表明进入开放空间可能不足以减轻所有形式的社会压力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Research in veterinary science 农林科学-兽医学

CiteScore

4.40

自引率

4.20%

发文量

312

审稿时长

75 days

期刊介绍： Research in Veterinary Science is an International multi-disciplinary journal publishing original articles, reviews and short communications of a high scientific and ethical standard in all aspects of veterinary and biomedical research. The primary aim of the journal is to inform veterinary and biomedical scientists of significant advances in veterinary and related research through prompt publication and dissemination. Secondly, the journal aims to provide a general multi-disciplinary forum for discussion and debate of news and issues concerning veterinary science. Thirdly, to promote the dissemination of knowledge to a broader range of professions, globally. High quality papers on all species of animals are considered, particularly those considered to be of high scientific importance and originality, and with interdisciplinary interest. The journal encourages papers providing results that have clear implications for understanding disease pathogenesis and for the development of control measures or treatments, as well as those dealing with a comparative biomedical approach, which represents a substantial improvement to animal and human health. Studies without a robust scientific hypothesis or that are preliminary, or of weak originality, as well as negative results, are not appropriate for the journal. Furthermore, observational approaches, case studies or field reports lacking an advancement in general knowledge do not fall within the scope of the journal.