Resumen de Infestation assessment with Haematobia irritans in grazing cattle and stress behaviors in tropical regions
Saúl Rojas Hernández, Miguel Á. Damián Valdez, Virginio Aguirre Flores, José A Orihuela Trujillo, Mariana Pedernera Romano, Francisco A. Galindo Maldonado, Fernando I Flores Pérez, Jaime Olivares Pérez
Objective: To evaluate the infestation with f lies in grazing cattle, and its relationship with some behaviors (tail butting, head butting, kicking and rubbing) that alter animal welfare, through direct observation and use of photographs.
Design/Methodology/Approach: At two times (7:00 and 14:00 h) the variables were measured on thirty naturally infested cows and randomly distributed in two treatments: TS: control without deworming and TD: chemically dewormed. Results: The f ly infestation were higher (p0.001) in TS cows (483.7 f lies/animal), they also, expressed with greater intensity (p0.001) and frequency of upset behaviors: tail-tapping (10.84 movements min1), head-butting (1.66), kicking (0.51) and rubbing (0.33) in order to drive away the annoying contact and aggression of the ectoparasite.
Limitations: More in deep research is needed in order to assess the physiological disorders that this parasite could cause by altering well-being of grazing cattle in the tropics.
Findings/Conclusions: It is concluded that the greater the f ly infestation, the movements that alter the welfare of the animals’ increase; however, more research is required to know the physiological welfare consequences that the infestation of this parasite implies.
