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The behaviour of beef suckler cattle (Bos taurus)
Applied Animal Ethology,
11 (1983184) 291-293 Eleevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands
291
Book Reviews BEEFSUCKLERCATTLE
The Behaviour of Beef Suckler Cattle (Bos taurus) by M. Kiley-Worthington and S. de la Plain. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, Switzerland, 1983, 195 pp., Price: SFr. 42.00, ISBN 3-7643 1265-3. This book, divided into 10 chapters (with 23 tables and 62 figures), is the result of a four-year study of the behaviour of cattle at pasture and of cattle with their calves to “tell us a bit more about the common cow”. It gives a quantitative description of the birth of a calf and the behaviour of the mother, with chapters covering the ontogeny, social organization and pasture-use by cattle. The first aim of the book was to evaluate the suitability of different environments for the rearing of Bos taurus. The knowledge so gained could be used to design environments and management systems most appropriate for cattle from a psychological as well as from a physical point of view. The world of cattle, their ecology and behavioural problems are developed at the end of the book (pp. 144-176) as an attempt to outline what is known exactly and what is still ignored. In the pursuit of knowledge on behaviour, the reward is often simply descriptive or explanatory in nature. The new information which sheds light on things in animal behaviour about which we may be familiar needs to be put into practice. In Chapter 8, the plan to ensure the adoption of a foundling calf by a single-suckler beef cow is very pertinent, helpful and of paramount interest. Overall, the blending of comments and data on the factors involved in the cohesive relationships in a cattle herd, and its division into sub-groups, is set out in a clear and concise manner, helpful and refreshing. This book gathers a good amount of useful and well-documented material on a spring-calving herd which was slaughtered before the end of the study, the downland they used to graze being under barley. The low price of the book is within the limits of most libraries, which should have it as a clearcut example and worthwhile reading of the modem approach to the cow’s world. If another edition of this useful book is to be issued, it could be considerably improved, or at least embellished, by more readable figures and tables. Y. RUCKEBUSCH Ecole Nationale VWrinaire Physiologie-Pharmacodynamie 23 Chemin des Capelles 31076 Toulouse C&dex France
11 (1983184) 291-293 Eleevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - Printed in The Netherlands
291
Book Reviews BEEFSUCKLERCATTLE
The Behaviour of Beef Suckler Cattle (Bos taurus) by M. Kiley-Worthington and S. de la Plain. Birkhauser Verlag, Basel, Switzerland, 1983, 195 pp., Price: SFr. 42.00, ISBN 3-7643 1265-3. This book, divided into 10 chapters (with 23 tables and 62 figures), is the result of a four-year study of the behaviour of cattle at pasture and of cattle with their calves to “tell us a bit more about the common cow”. It gives a quantitative description of the birth of a calf and the behaviour of the mother, with chapters covering the ontogeny, social organization and pasture-use by cattle. The first aim of the book was to evaluate the suitability of different environments for the rearing of Bos taurus. The knowledge so gained could be used to design environments and management systems most appropriate for cattle from a psychological as well as from a physical point of view. The world of cattle, their ecology and behavioural problems are developed at the end of the book (pp. 144-176) as an attempt to outline what is known exactly and what is still ignored. In the pursuit of knowledge on behaviour, the reward is often simply descriptive or explanatory in nature. The new information which sheds light on things in animal behaviour about which we may be familiar needs to be put into practice. In Chapter 8, the plan to ensure the adoption of a foundling calf by a single-suckler beef cow is very pertinent, helpful and of paramount interest. Overall, the blending of comments and data on the factors involved in the cohesive relationships in a cattle herd, and its division into sub-groups, is set out in a clear and concise manner, helpful and refreshing. This book gathers a good amount of useful and well-documented material on a spring-calving herd which was slaughtered before the end of the study, the downland they used to graze being under barley. The low price of the book is within the limits of most libraries, which should have it as a clearcut example and worthwhile reading of the modem approach to the cow’s world. If another edition of this useful book is to be issued, it could be considerably improved, or at least embellished, by more readable figures and tables. Y. RUCKEBUSCH Ecole Nationale VWrinaire Physiologie-Pharmacodynamie 23 Chemin des Capelles 31076 Toulouse C&dex France