Table 2.
Working ethogram used for the observations of 10 dams in the first 2 h post-parturition.
| Category/Behavior | Code | Definition | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Affiliative behaviors toward the calf | |||
| Sniffing | Sniff_Calf | Dam has the muzzle in close proximity (< 5 cm) of the calf and inhales and exhales air through the nose in short repetitive manner near the calf in any body part | |
| Grooming | Gr_Calf | Dam has the muzzle in close proximity of the calf and licks (e.g., puts her tongue repetitively in contact with) the calf in any body part | |
| Nudging | Nudge_Calf | Dam pushes, shakes or rubs the calf by touching gently any body part with muzzle or head in an apparent effort to stimulate the calf to stand up | |
| Nursing | Nurse_Calf | Dam allows the calf to go with the muzzle under her belly and to suckle from the udder | |
| Agonistic behaviors toward the calf | |||
| Biting | Bite_Calf | Dam opens and quickly closes the jaws with the teeth grasping the skin of the calf in any body part | |
| Moving away or displacing | Displ_Calf | Dam goes away from the calf or pushes the calf away by a forceful contact that results in the calf moving away | |
| Butting | Butt_Calf | Dam hits the calf with the head (forehead or nose) | (28) |
| Calf searching | |||
| Sniffing the litter | Sniff_Litter | Dam has the muzzle in close proximity of litter and inhales and exhales air through the nose in short repetitive manner near it | |
| Looking out of the pen | Look-Out | Dam goes to the fence, leans out and looks out of the pen | |
| Restlessness | Restless | Dam moves restlessly in the pen, walks back and forth, does not lie down | |
| Environmental interaction | |||
| Vigilance | Vigil | Dam is alert, keeps her eyes open and looks around, head position at an angle above the horizontal to the withers, ears upright | (30) |
| Exploration and interaction with pen fixtures | Expl | Dam sniffs and/or licks on floor, wall or fence and interacts with pen fixtures (e.g., including rubbing herself) | Adapted from (28) |
| Situation related activities | |||
| Placenta ingestion | Placenta | Dam puts in the mouth and chews placenta and birth fluids | |
| Vocalization | Vocalize | Dam emits vocalizations, audible moos with open mouth and quiet humming with closed mouth, with no distinction between high- or low-pitched vocalizations | Adapted from (29) |
| Locomotion | Locom | Dam performs movement of legs | Adapted from (29) |
| Resting | Rest | Dam lays down or sleeps with eyes shut while recumbent | |
| Inactive | Inact | Dam is awake and, regardless of posture, she is not committed in any activity | |
| Self-grooming | Self-Gr | Dam performs body care by licking her body and wiping her nose and stretches the own body | Adapted from (30) |
| Stereotypies | Stereot | Dam is engaged in stereotyped behaviors (e.g., tongue playing, tongue rolling and other non-nutritive oral behaviors), repeatedly nibbles/chews at the fixtures of the pen in a stereotyped way | |
| Feeding | |||
| Eating | Eat | Dam brings food to the mouth and chews and swallows it in the manger | |
| Rumination | Ruminate | Dam is committed in the regurgitation, mastication, and swallowing of the bolus | (8) |
| Other | |||
| Not visible | Not-Vis | Dam is out of sight being in a position that is either not visible from the camera frame, or the activity is not observable (view blocked, no contrast or for other reasons) | |
| Other | Other | Dam is committed in behaviors other than those described which are not relevant for the purpose of the present study | |
| Modifiers adding information about a behavior | |||
| Posture (complementary) | |||
| Standing | Stand | Dam remains on the four limbs without other parts of the body in contact with the ground | Adapted from (31) |
| Lying | Lying | Dam stays on the litter, on sternal or lateral recumbence, head can or cannot be in contact with the ground, eyes can be open or closed | Adapted from (31) |
| Position in the pen (complementary) | |||
| Front | Front | 75% of the body of dam is located in the front half of the pen | |
| Back | Back | 75% of the body of dam is located in the back half of the pen | |
| Locked in the feeding rack | |||
| Locked in the feeding rack | Locked | Dam is blocked with the head in the manger with the use of the feeding rack lock or tied for a short time | |
| Contact with the calf | |||
| Visual contact | Vis-Contact | Dam maintains eye contact with the calf before separation, when physical contact is broken (she looks at the calf, but does not maintain physical contact because she is committed in other activities) or during separation (she follows the movements of the calf with her eyes and/or with the body) | |
| Physical contact | Phys-Contact | Dam maintains physical contact with the calf by standing or lying down in contact with the calf | |
| No contact | No-Contact | Dam does not maintain contact, neither physical nor eye contact with the calf | |