Cattle behaviour provides real-time welfare information that supplements health measures, enabling earlier detection and more holistic welfare assessment.
Cattle communicate welfare status through behaviour that trained observers and automated monitoring systems can interpret. Synchronised lying with high cohesion indicates good social and environmental welfare. Play in young stock signals positive affective states. Displacement and interrupted feeding indicate overcrowding. Abnormal behaviours including stereotypies indicate chronic welfare deprivation. Welfare assessment relying solely on health metrics misses the behavioural dimension of welfare. Integrating behavioural observation with health measures provides a more complete welfare picture. Stockpeople trained in behavioural welfare assessment are better able to identify and address welfare problems early.