Effect of physical and nutritional enrichment on the behavior, performance, and health of dairy calves: a systematic review and metanalysis

• Grant number: 23/08449-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Ecology of Domestic Animals and Ethology
• Principal Investigator: Matheus Deniz
• Grantee: Bárbara Dias Alcantara
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant(s): 24/03536-3 - 57th Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE), AR.BR

Abstract

The stress of dairy calves is demonstrated through stereotyped behaviors, preventing the animal from expressing its natural behaviors. Thus, the use of resources for environmental enrichment (EE) in the creation of dairy calves can have positive results. The objective of this project is to provide a systematic review of the scientific literature on the effects of the use of AE resources on the behavior, development and health of dairy calves through a meta-analysis. All data will be obtained from original peer-reviewed articles in English published in indexing databases (PubMed, Web of Science and CAB Direct). As a way of analyzing results we will have (1) weighted mean difference and publication bias; (2) meta-regression and subgroup analysis; (3) standardized mean difference; (4) risk ratio; and (5) principal component and cluster analysis. With the results, we hope to recognize the importance and benefits of EA (nutritional, physical) for dairy calves and identify possible gaps on the subject, recognizing the benefits and/or potential negative points in the behavior and performance of dairy calves.