Grass composition and distribution patterns as determinants of behavioral activities and weight accumulation of Nguni and Boran cattle post-relocation.

Grass biomass composition and distribution patterns within the paddock as determinants of behavioral activities and animal performance of Nguni (NG) and Boran (BR) cattle post-relocation to a novel environment were examined. Ten steers of each breed aged 9 months were bought from two different farms and sent to Honeydale research facilities, where they were reared on rangelands for 12 weeks. Identification and classification of grass species were done every sampling week before introducing cattle to each paddock. Direct visual observations and durations of behavior and paddock occupancy patterns were recorded every fortnight between 0500 and 1900 h every week. Individual animal weights and body condition scores (BCS) were recorded two times per week. Location within paddocks hugely affected (P < 0.0001) the composition of the vegetation as most grass species were found everywhere on pastures, near the watering points and along fencelines. However, the distribution patterns of the grass species significantly differed at different locations. Aristida congesta was dominant (P = 0.0014) everywhere in the pasture and along fenceline than in areas with a high density of trees. Except in shaded areas, Cynodon dactylon (P = 0.0003) and Eragrostis chloromelas (P = 0.0008) were highly abundant near the watering points, pastures, and along the fenceline. Themeda triandra (P < 0.0001) was only prevalent everywhere on pastures except in shade areas, near the water sites, and along fenceline. In terms of palatability and ecological groups, highly palatable species (P < 0.0001) and decreasers (P = 0.0010) were more frequent everywhere in the paddocks. From Weeks 1 to 3, NG spent more time walking (P < 0.0001), while the BR showed a significant decline in grazing activities (P < 0.0001) in spite of several differences in vegetation composition. Both breeds showed a significant decline in weight gain (P < 0.0001) and body condition score (P < 0.0001) in the first 3 weeks. However, the two cattle breeds quickly compensated for their behavioral activities and weight gain, and this shows a good ability to cope with stress caused by heterogeneous environmental conditions.

Behavioral and Haemato-Biochemical Responses of Nguni and Boran Steers Post Relocation and Herd Regrouping in a Novel Environment.

Behavioural and blood-based physiological responses of Nguni (NG) and Boran (BR) steers, following relocation to a new environment and herd regrouping were examined. Ten steers of each genotype aged 9 months and reared under similar conditions were studied over 16 weeks: 1 for acclimatization and baseline measurements in original groups, 15 for post regrouping measurements. Each sampling week, direct visual observations and durations of aggressive and affiliative interactions were recorded between 0500-1900h for 3 conservative days. Blood samples were drawn fortnightly by jugular venipuncture for plasma cortisol, glucose, creatine kinase (CK) and haematological analysis. In weeks 1-5, BR had higher instances of head-butting (P=0.0311), mounts (P=0.0142) and threats (P=0.0241) compared to NG (P<0.0001, P=0.0412 and P=0.0241, respectively). However, these significantly declined from weeks 7-15 in both genotypes. Grooming increased consistently over the weeks in both genotypes (P=0.0214). Head-butting correlated with cortisol (r=-0.116), CK (r=-0.295) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (r=-0.144). Grooming correlated (r=0.137) with white-blood-cell-count. Herd regrouping temporarily disrupted social behaviour, with BR showing more aggression towards NG steers. Nevertheless, the two genotypes established some stability within five weeks of social mixing.

An outlook on livestock welfare conditions in African communities - A review.

A significant proportion of the African continent is conducive for animal agricultural production, due to its historical experience and available resources to accommodate and nurture various indigenous and exotic animal species and breeds. With food security being a global challenge, animal products can play an important role as nutrient dense food sources in human diets, particularly in Africa. However, this does not seem to reach its full potential in practice, due to numerous reasons that have not been adequately addressed. Animal welfare reservations can be highlighted as one of the major contributing factors to the curbed progress. The consequences have been scientifically proven to affect product quality and market access. However, in the African community, the concept of animal welfare has not been fully embraced. While there are international animal welfare standards in the developed world, there are inherent factors that hinder adoption of such initiatives in most developing regions, particularly among communal farmers. These include cultural norms and practices, social ranking, socio-economic status, available resources, information dissemination and monitoring tools. Therefore, there is need to harmonize what is internationally required and what is feasible to accommodate global variability. The protocols followed to ensure and evaluate farm animal welfare require regular investigation, innovation and a sustainable approach to enhance animal productivity, efficiency and product quality. Additionally, investing in animal wellbeing and health, as well as empowering communities with significant knowledge, has a potential to improve African livelihoods and contribute to food security. This review seeks to highlight the concept of animal welfare in relation to livestock and food production in African conditions.

Farm to abattoir conditions, animal factors and their subsequent effects on cattle behavioural responses and beef quality - A review.

The current review seeks to highlight the concerns that have been raised on pre-slaughter stress, contributing factors and its consequent effects on cattle behavioural responses and the quality of beef; inter-linking the activities involved from birth to slaughter. Such information is crucial in light of the consumer concerns on overall animal welfare, quality of meat and food security. Slaughter animals are exposed to different conditions during production and transportation to abattoirs on a daily basis. However; the majority of studies that have been done previously singled out different environments in the meat production chain, while conclusions have been made that the welfare of slaughter animals and the quality of meat harvested from them is dependent on the whole chain. Behaviour is a critical component used to evaluate the animals' wellbeing and it has been reported to have an effect on product quality. Apart from the influence of on-farm, transportation and abattoir conditions, the genetic background of the animal also affects how it perceives and responds to certain encounters. Stress activates the animals' hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity, triggering release of various stress hormones such as catecholamines and cortisol, thus glycogen depletion prior slaughter, elevated ultimate pH and poor muscle-meat conversion. Pre-slaughter stress sometimes results to cattle attaining bruises, resulting to the affected parts of the carcass being trimmed and condemned for human consumption, downgrading of the carcass and thus profit losses.