Training Dairy Cows with Positive Reinforcement Can Turn Otherwise Stressful Events into Play (IMAGE)
Caption
The drawing on the left shows the area where heifers were trained. Anticipatory and play behaviors were recorded in the “start box” (area B in the diagram) while cattle were waiting to enter the training area (C and D above). Heifers in the training treatment learned that they would receive a food reward to initially approach (locations T1 and T2) and then enter (T3 to T5) a restraint chute. On the right is a photo showing a heifer undergoing training. Providing positive reinforcement training to dairy cattle can lead to animals that anticipate and are more likely to consider human handling as positive.
Credit
University of British Columbia
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Credit must be given to the creator.
License
CC BY