Cattle producers historically have selected for docile temperaments simply for management
convenience because calmer animals are conducive to safe environments for their
peers as well as their handlers. As many producers would acknowledge, however, there
seems to be a relationship between temperament and cattle health, and calmer cattle
tend to frequent the working chute for treatment of disease less often.
Positive correlations have been found in cattle between temperament traits (chute
scores, pen scores, and chute exit velocities) and cortisol concentration in the blood,
suggesting that more excitable cattle are easily stressed (Curley et al., 2006; Cooke et
al., 2009). Curley et al. (2007) also found that easily excitable animals sustain elevated
cortisol concentrations for a longer duration and have greater pituitary and adrenal
responses following a stressor than calm cattle. Temperamental cattle have significantly
higher mean temperament responses at all points (Oliphint, 2006). Higher basal serum
cortisol concentrations may suggest that easily excitable cattle are chronically stressed
(Curley et al., 2007), possibly resulting in a compromised immune system, illness, and
decreased fat and protein deposition. This study was conducted to further investigate
the relationships between cattle temperament (measured by chute score and exit velocity),
immunological factors, and a range of economically relevant performance traits.
