Temperament in beef cattle: Methods of measurement and their relationship to production

Sebastian, T., Watts, J. M., Stookey, J. M., Buchanan, F. and Waldner, C. 2011. Temperament in beef cattle: methods of measurement and their relationship to production. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 91: 557-565. Temperament is an individual trait influencing an animal's behavioural response to handling. This characteristic likely modulates the response of the animal to environments and social situations, and is perhaps best viewed as a component of its personality. We assessed temperament using three objective measuring tools, to determine if correlations exist between these and a traditional subjective evaluation. The tools used were strain gauges, a "movement measuring device" (MMD), and a chute exit timer. Four hundred steers were used. Exit time was correlated with values recorded with the MMD and absolute strain forces, and MMD values were related to absolute strain forces. When the animals were classified as "calm" or "wild" based on their subjective scoring, these two groups differed in their mean exit times, MMD values and absolute strain forces. The three objective measures yielded statistically correlated results between tests and across repetitions, and therefore may quantify correlated aspects of a personality trait (i.e., temperament). The objective scores were related to the traditional subjective score, but they provide the advantage of eliminating observer bias and may offer better tools for temperament selection. Significant positive relationships of daily gain with subjective score and M M D values indicate that traditional subjective scoring techniques can be replaced with more repeatable objective measures when temperaments are assessed for performance studies.