Animals with no hair whorl or with a hair whorl positioned above the eye line were described to be more agitated compared to animals with hair whorls located in the center of the forehead, or below the eye line. The position of hair whorl on the forehead may be a useful strategy to visually assess temperamental tendencies, with no equipment required. Pen scores may also not be feasible when utilizing grazing cattle or large groups of cattle. The pen score measures the direct interaction of animals with humans and is a good indicator of aggressiveness, however it is not recommended if the cattle evaluated are too excitable or if the handlers are not experienced, due to safety concerns. Some examples of temperament assessments described in the literature are chute score, pen score, exit velocity, exit score, temperament score, and position of forehead hair whorl. The decision on which technique to utilize will depend on the objectives of the assessment, facilities, and personnel, as well as the type of cattle being evaluated. There are many forms of assessing temperament by evaluating behavioral responses and other traits in beef cattle. Thus, practical strategies to evaluate temperament and properly manage beef cattle with different behavioral responses are warranted to ensure optimal efficiency, sustainability and welfare of both cattle and handlers. indicus cattle have been shown to have a more excitable temperament compared to B. Although more resilient in the described conditions, B. In a global level, most commercial cattle are in tropical and subtropical areas, where heat and parasites are issues often addressed by increasing the inclusion of Bos indicus genetics. Even though some beef breeds have been intensively selected for docility, temperament is still variable and more temperamental animals are present in most cowherds. While some livestock species are reared in controlled environments that reduce the need for robustness and defensive behavior, such as poultry, pork, and even dairy cows, beef cattle are still faced with environmental challenges more frequently, particularly in the cow-calf sector. Collectively, temperament of beef females measured via behavioral responses upon human handling impacts their reproductive and productive responses independent of breed type, and should be considered for optimal beef cattle production. However, similar benefits were not observed when mature cows were acclimated to human handling. taurus heifers to human handling improved behavioral expression of temperament and hastened puberty attainment. Studies also reported that excitable beef females have poorer reproductive performance compared to calmer cohorts, including reduced annual pregnancy rates, decreased calving rate, weaning rate, and kg of calf weaned/cow exposed to breeding. Consistently across studies, excitable cattle had greater plasma cortisol compared to animals with adequate temperament. To assess the impacts of temperament on various beef systems, these evaluation criteria were associated with productive and reproductive parameters of Bos taurus and B. Cattle temperament can be evaluated using an association of chute score and exit velocity, with cattle then classified as adequate or excitable temperament. Temperament is often defined as the behavioral expression of animals in response to human interaction.
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