B.PRS.2001 - Final Report - Managing Welfare and Production at Weaning

Summary

The Managing Welfare and Production at Weaning project was an integrated R&D demonstration site project, delivered on commercial and research properties in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia. This trial demonstrated best practice animal husbandry and investigated the welfare and production benefits of providing pain relief at the time of castration and dehorning.

Objectives

• Demonstrate best practice husbandry procedures through commercial demonstration sites.
• Demonstrate the use and practical application of pain relief products during surgical husbandry procedures.
• Document the production and welfare outcomes following the administration of different pain relief products, assessed by monitoring liveweight, behaviour and wound healing following the procedures.
• Develop and update a producer handout for ‘best practice during husbandry procedures’, including the use of pain relief.

Key findings

This study demonstrated the production impacts of husbandry procedures in cattle herds. In eight of the 16 study herds, a decrease (on average) in liveweight following the procedures was observed. Poll heifers were present in eight of the 16 study herds and had significantly greater liveweight gains than animals that had undergone castration and/or dehorning in five of these herds.

However, the study found no consistent significant difference in liveweight change between animals that did or did not receive pain relief. There was no consistent significant difference in behaviour in the hours following husbandry procedures, GPS and accelerometer data, or wound healing.
Liveweight was found to be negatively impacted by the occurrence of an infection in either the castration or dehorning wound sites, demonstrating the importance of minimising the occurrence of infection by using best practice procedures. Infection of the dehorning site was observed to be influenced by the occurrence of an open sinus, with open sinus wounds averaging an infection rate of 21% vs 4% for non-open sinus wounds.

The results of this trial have been presented at field days across northern Australia, and an updated ‘best management for husbandry procedures’ brochure has been developed.

Benefits to industry

As a result of this project:
• Cattle producers across northern Australia were able to use and see the use of pain relief products firsthand.
• Epidemiological data on the impact of castration and dehorning in northern Australia was collected.
• An updated ‘best practices for husbandry procedures’ flier was developed, providing clear guidance for beef producers to support animal wellbeing outcomes.

MLA action

MLA and industry partners are undertaking research to reduce the need for invasive husbandry procedures, such as polled genetics or non-invasive chemical castration.
In the meantime, MLA continues to provide extension support and resources to producers for widespread adoption of best practice animal husbandry.

Future research

The findings of this study would suggest that further research is needed to find a longer lasting, effective pain relief product and/or a product that overcomes the practical administrative challenges (e.g. storage, dosage, administration) of the extensive pastoral environment in northern Australia.

It also demonstrates the merit of investing in R&D to reduce the need for these procedures altogether, such as polled genetics or non-invasive chemical castration.