Inactive and locomotive behaviour of pregnant dairy heifers under loose housing system

Abstract

The pattern of inactive and locomotive behaviours of pregnant dairy heifers under loose housing system was studied. Inactive (loafing, sitting and sleeping) and locomotive(roaming) behaviour of 30 crossbred heifers were recorded at 60 seconds interval for 24 consecutive hours on 14 occasions (at weekly interval) during their last trimester (27th to 40th wk) of pregnancy. Bout and inter-bout length of these activities were also recorded. Loafing was the most frequent form of inactive behaviour followed by sleeping and sitting. Time spent on sitting and sleeping decreased gradually with the advancement of pregnancy whereas the trend was reverse for loafing. Short duration (<15 min) bout length was predominant in all the 4 activities. Majority of the inter-bout incidences for roaming and loafing activity had duration of <15 min, whereas most of the sitting activities were repeated within 30 to 60 min. This basic information of inactive and locomotive behaviours will help to manage the pregnant dairy heifers better under loose housing system.