Personality and predictability in farmed calves using movement and space-use behaviours quantified by ultra-wideband sensors

Occhiuto, Francesca; Vázquez-Diosdado, Jorge A.; Carslake, Charles; Kaler, Jasmeet

Abstract

Individuals within a population often show consistent between individual differences in their average behavioural expression (personality), and consistent differences in their within-individual variability of behaviour around the mean (predictability). Where correlations between different personality traits and/or the predictability of traits exist, these represent behavioural or predictability syndromes. In wild populations, behavioural syndromes have consequences for individual's survival and reproduction and affect the structure and functioning of groups and populations. The consequences of behavioural syndromes for farm animals are less well explored, partly due to the challenges in quantifying behaviour of many individuals across time and context in a farm setting. Here, we use Ultra-Wideband location sensors to provide precise measures of movement and space use for 60 calves over 40-48 days. We are the first livestock study to demonstrate consistent within and between individual variation in movement and space use with repeatability values of up to 0.80 and CVp values up to 0.49. Our results show correlations in personality and predictability, indicating the existence of "exploratory" and "active" personality traits in farmed calves. We consider the consequences of such individual variability for cattle behaviour and welfare and how such data may be used to inform management decision in farm animals.

Citation

Occhiuto, F., Vázquez-Diosdado, J. A., Carslake, C., & Kaler, J. (2022). Personality and predictability in farmed calves using movement and space-use behaviours quantified by ultra-wideband sensors. Royal Society Open Science, 9(6), Article 212019. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.212019

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 26, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jun 8, 2022
• Publication Date: Jun 8, 2022
• Deposit Date: May 13, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Jun 8, 2022
• Journal: Royal Society Open Science
• Electronic ISSN: 2054-5703
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 212019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.212019
• Keywords: Animal personality; predictability; repeatability; inter-individual variability; movement; space use
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/8047983
• Publisher URL: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.212019
• Additional Information: Received: 2021-12-23; Accepted: 2022-04-26; Published: 2022-06-08