PSV-17 Disease surveillance in feedlot cattle via interactions with a novel cotton rope

Abstract Disease surveillance in feedlot cattle is vital for minimizing morbidity and mortality and maintaining cattle welfare. Hanging a novel cotton rope for disease surveillance is commonly used in pig production but is less developed for feedlot cattle. The aims of this study were to 1) inform future rope-based disease surveillance methods by describing sick and healthy feedlot cattle behavioral interactions with a novel rope, and 2) evaluate how cattle rope interactions vary with time, environment, and individual animal characteristics. Cotton ropes were hung in feedlot pens for three 30-min sessions over six non-consecutive summer days at two feedlots. At Feedlot 1, a rope was hung in one chronic pen and seven healthy pens, and the observation sessions were: Early Morning (0545 to 0700 h), Afternoon (1245 to 1300 h), and Evening (1845 to 2000 h). Three pens were observed on each of the six days; the chronic pen, one healthy “novel” pen with cattle that had no rope experience that changed daily, and one healthy “repeat” pen that was sampled over all observation periods. At Feedlot 2, the methods were altered slightly to focus on “repeat” pens during times when staff would be at the feedlot. A rope was hung in one chronic pen and one “repeat” healthy pen each day. The observation sessions were: Early Morning (0615 to 0645 h), Late Morning (1015 to 1045 h), and Afternoon (1315 to 1345 h). Direct continuous observation was used to record the number of rope-directed interactions (RDIs) performed by individual cattle. Results are presented descriptively as means ± SD. On d 1 in healthy pens at both feedlots, the average number of RDIs was 164 ± 72, and the Early Morning session was slightly more active than the two later sessions. The Chronic Pens at both feedlots were much less active, with only 3 and 10 RDIs on D 1 in Chronic Pens 1 and 2, respectively. The average number of unique cattle that performed at least 1 RDI in a healthy pen on d 1 was 23 ± 7, with an average of 11 ± 4.6 cattle performing an RDI in each 30-minute session. The Chronic Pens were less active, with only 2 and 3 unique cattle performing an RDI on d 1 in the Chronic Pens 1 and 2, respectively. Overall, in the Chronic Pens, the number of individual cattle RDIs varied greatly, with a few sick cattle performing the majority of RDIs. Healthy cattle RDIs varied with age, time of day, and temperature, and chronic cattle RDIs varied with disease status and proximity to death. These results indicate that there is potential value in these methods for disease surveillance, but that clear consideration for how environmental and individual animal characteristics impact RDIs is imperative for successful disease surveillance.