Wintertime use of natural versus artificial shelter by cattle in nature reserves in temperate areas
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| Category | Journal Articles |
|---|---|
| Abstract |
The current study contributes scientific observation to the ongoing debate about whether and when artificial shelter (man-made), in addition to natural shelter (vegetation), should be provided to cattle grazing in nature reserves during temperate winters. In several year-round grazing projects in Belgium, we have investigated the effect of winter climatic conditions on cattle's use of natural versus artificial shelter. In eight nature reserves with varying amount and spatial distribution of natural shelter and an artificial shelter, GPS were used collars to monitor terrain use during one, two or three winters (per 30 min, 24 h per day). Cattle location data were related to instantaneous open-field measurements of the Comprehensive Climatic Index (CCI). In addition, the effects of the time of day (day-time versus night-time) and the amount of natural shelter and its spatial distribution on these relationships were investigated. In most nature reserves, cattle increasingly avoided open area and sought shelter at CCI values |
| Publication Title | Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
| Volume | 163 |
| Pages | 39-49 |
| ISBN/ISSN | 0168-1591 |
| Publisher | Elsevier |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.applanim.2014.12.004 |
| Language | English |
| Author Address | Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit, Scheldeweg 68, 9090 Melle, Belgium.eva.vanlaer@ilvo.vlaanderen.be |
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