KEY
Study Guide
Topic # 3037
Animal Behavior
Alyson Wilson
Define behavior.
Behavior is the individual and group actions that take place in order for animals to live
and function in their environment.
Define ethology.
Ethology is the study of animal behavior
Define anthropomorphism.
Anthropomorphism is attributing human characteristics to animals
What are the five animal behaviors discussed?
Nest Building (Sows)
Mating Behavior
Postpartum Behavior
Environmental Comfort
Social Behavior
Briefly explain what occurs during nest building.
Sow will start building her nest as labor gets closer
Sow will try to clean and dry an area and will chew on long grass or straw to provide
bedding.
Sow may change nest area more than once.
Pawing Activities occur
Briefly explain what occurs during mating behavior with males and females (i.e. threat
displays and estrus).
Threat Displays (males)
Bulls
Arching of the neck
Protrusion of eyeballs
Erection of hair along their back
Pawing the ground
Turning of the shoulder toward the threatened animal
Stallions
Rearing on hind legs
Laying back of ears
Rams
Vigorous stamping of forefoot
Nudging
Estrus Behavior
Cows
Increased excitability
Licking
Mounting other females
Ewes
Difficult to see unless with a ram
If ram is present, will seek out his company and stay with him
Sows
Pressure on back causes her to stand
Sow may become restless when enclosed
Ears may be laid close to her head, turned up and backwards and held stiffly
Discuss what occurs during postpartum behavior with the different species.
Mares
Mare will often lie exhausted for 20-30 minutes
Mares do not eat afterbirth, but will groom foals
Cows
Cow will lick own urine discharge
Cow will rest and then clean her calf
Cow will usually eat the placenta
Ewes and Does
Ewes and Does eat entire afterbirth
Recognition of ewe/lamb and doe/kid is very important
Rejection may occur if young is taken away after birth and returned later
Critical time period can be as little as 1 hour
Management practices:
Encouraging an orphaned lamb to be “adopted”
Rubbing afterbirth on orphan/Skinning a dead lamb of the foster ewe
Sows
Sows pay little attention to young until last one is born
Sows will eat part or all of afterbirth unless removed
Sows will call littler to suck using short repeated grunts
Sow may emit barking grunts if disturbed by an intruder
Sows rarely lick or groom young
Sows may also crush their young with sudden movements
Explain what animals do if it is too hot and too cold for them.
TOO Cold
Huddle together/pile up
TOO Hot
Cattle and sheep seek shady areas
Pigs seek wet areas to lie in
Give examples of discomfort behavior.
Feather picking and cannibalism in poultry
Tail biting and ear chewing in swine
Discuss some types of social behaviors that occur with males and females (i.e. cows,
chickens, and ewes)
Males fight unfamiliar males
Cows, sows, and mares develop a pecking order and fight less intensely
Ewes seldom fight
Social order in cow herds is influenced by:
Age, size, horns (if any), experience, and strength
Once social order is established in cow herds, it will remain the same for years
Pigs develop a social order at birth
Closely confined pigs have some difficulty establishing a social order
Pecking order in chickens is found in feeding, nesting and roosting.