Board invited review: The importance of the gestation period for welfare of calves: maternal stressors and difficult births
Abstract
The prenatal period is of critical
importance in defi ning how individuals respond to their
environment throughout life. Stress experienced by
pregnant females has been shown to have detrimental
effects on offspring biology in humans and a variety of
other species. It also is becoming increasingly apparent
that prenatal events can have important consequences
for the behavior, health, and productivity of offspring
in farmed species. Pregnant cattle may experience
many potentially important stressors, for instance,
relating to their social environment, housing system
and physical environment, interactions with humans
and husbandry procedures, and their state of health.
We examined the available literature to provide
a review of the implications of prenatal stress for
offspring welfare in cattle. The long-term effects
of dystocia on cattle offspring also are reviewed.
To ensure a transparent and repeatable selection
process, a systematic review approach was adopted.
The research literature clearly demonstrates that
prenatal stress and diffi cult births in beef and dairy
cattle both have implications for offspring welfare
and performance. Common husbandry practices,
such as transport, were shown to infl uence offspring
biology and the importance of environmental
variables, including thermal stress and drought, also
were highlighted. Maternal disease during pregnancy
was shown to negatively impact offspring welfare.
Moreover, dystocia-affected calves suffer increased
mortality and morbidity, decreased transfer of passive
immunity, and important physiological and behavioral
changes. This review also identifi ed considerable gaps
in our knowledge and understanding of the effects of
prenatal stress in cattle.
Journal Title/Title of Proceedings
Journal of Animal Science
Volume/Issue Number
90
Page Numbers
5021‐5034
URI
http://dx.doi.org/10.2527/jas.2012-5463https://www.animalsciencepublications.org/publications/jas/articles/90/13/5021
http://hdl.handle.net/11262/10596