Table 1. Ethogram of Gyr cows behaviors and their calves in the peripartum period.
| Categories | Description |
|---|---|
| ‘Pre-calving Period’ | |
| Kneeling (oc.a) | Cow’s forelegs bent on the floor and hindlegs erect. |
| Drinking (oc.) | Cow drinking water in the water bowl. |
| Grazing (%a) | Cow taking grass on the ground and showing chewing movement. |
| Feeding (%) | Cow eating silage and concentrates from the trough. Cow with the head above the trough and showing chewing movement. |
| Straight spine (%) | Cow standing with all four legs erects and spine straight. |
| Arched spine (%) | Cow standing with all four legs erect and arched spine. |
| Moving (%) | Cow walking forward or backward. |
| Lying down (%) | Lying in lateral or sternal decubitus, with the lower part of the body on the floor and legs stretched or retracted. |
| ‘Post-calving Period’ and ‘Post-handling Period’ | |
| Cow latency (min.a) | Period between the complete expulsion of the fetus (calving) until the cow touches the calf for the first time with muzzle and/or tongue. |
| Calf latency (min.) | Period between the expulsion of the fetus (calving) until the calf stands itself on four legs without falling. |
| Touching (%) | Cow’s tongue or muzzle keeping physical contact with any part of the calf’s body. |
| Not interacting (%) | Cow standing or lying without physical contact and/or without interacting with the calf. |
| Suckling (%) | Cow standing still while the calf sucks on her teats or makes contact with the teats and/or udder region. |
| Moving (%) | Cow walking forward or backward. |
aoc. = occurrences (in number); % = percentage of observation time; min = latency in minutes.