Breed differences in oral behaviors in feed-restricted dairy heifers

Holsteins and Jerseys, the 2 most prominent dairy breeds in the United States, differ in many regards. They have not been evaluated for differences in oral behavior performance, despite anecdotal evidence that Jerseys perform more abnormal behaviors than Holsteins. As abnormal behaviors can indicate compromised welfare, we evaluated whether breed differences existed in year-old heifers. Because many oral behaviors could be expressed in abnormal ways, we also sought to describe performance of a wide range of behaviors and whether these varied among individuals. We studied 42 pair-housed heifers (33 Holstein, 9 Jersey) at 12.8 ± 1.1 mo of age (mean ± SD) that were restricted to 50% of their ad libitum total mixed ration (TMR) intake for 2 d as part of a short-term feed challenge. Using continuous video recording from 0800 to 2000 h on the second day of feed restriction, we scored time spent performing tongue rolling, tongue flicking, selfgrooming, allogrooming, intersucking, drinking urin..., The methods are described in the associated research publication. , , # Data from: Breed differences in oral behaviors in feed-restricted dairy heifers

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Data were collected from 42 dairy heifers (Jerseys, n=9; Holsteins, n=33) that were approximately 13 mo old to evaluate whether there were breed differences in oral behaviors. Heifers were feed-restricted a total mixed ration (TMR) at 50% of their previous intake, similar to limit-feeding used on farm, for 2 d. On d 2 of this restriction, oral behavior (drinking water, drinking urine, intersucking, allogrooming, self-grooming, tongue rolling, tongue flicks, and non-nutritive manipulation of non-feed items) was scored continuously from 08:00-20:00. Eating was evaluated during this same period at 5-min scans.

## Description of the data and file structure

* *LFiH_Behavior proportion data by breed.csv*; This file presents oral behavior data from all 42 heifers (\"ID\" column) and identifies them as Jerseys or Holsteins (\"Breed\" column). Behavi...