Weanling training and cubicle usage as heifers

The success of training weanlings to encourage the use of weanling cubicles was evaluated through the analysis of cattle behaviour by direct observation. Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment the animals were not actively encouraged to use cubicles and this resulted in 61% of the animals using the cubicles. In the second experiment, additional bedding (mats) and/or food were offered to encourage the animals to use cubicles. At the end of this experiment, 95% of the weanlings used the cubicles. Treatments with mats attracted much greater occupancy of cubicles than treatments without mats during both day and night observation periods. The mean turnover rate of cubicles was highest in treatments with mats for both day and night observations. The mean number of cubicles visited per weanling was 9.56 (range 8–18) of 22. Although preference for experimental treatment was evident, cubicle fidelity was low.
Additional experiments were conducted the following winter in adult cubicles using the same animals, now pregnant heifers. The first experiment monitored the reaction of these animals (untrained as weanlings) to adult cubicles with and without mats. The second experiment monitored the reaction of animals (trained as weanlings) to adult cubicles. The final experiment monitored cubicle utilisation by pregnant heifers who were housed in a slatted unit as weanlings. All animals that had previously used cubicles as weanlings consistently used the adult cubicles, but those animals who refused cubicles as weanlings also refused the adult cubicles. Of the 11 heifers housed on slats as weanlings only one animal consistently used cubicles. Heifers trained as weanlings had the highest occupancy levels. Heifers from non-training experiments and bedded on mats as heifers had the second highest occupancy levels. Both of these treatments had significantly higher occupancy levels than non-trained heifers bedded on concrete or slats as weanlings.
Provision of mats proved to be the most successful means of encouraging weanlings to use cubicles. Mats were also effective in encouraging cubicle usage by heifers that had previously rejected cubicles.