Novel enrichment reduces boredom-associated behaviours in housed dairy cows

There is currently societal interest and concern for dairy cow welfare. It has been suggested that boredom poses a welfare issue for dairy cows, particularly when presented with extended disposable time in housed environments that lack stimuli. Farm animals experience a multitude of affective states, which has created a need for positive experiences to be included in welfare management. Environmental enrichment can reduce boredom and facilitate positive experiences however the research in cows is limited. To assess the behavioral impact of a simple enrichment on commercially housed dairy cows, we provided 24-h access to a novel object, for 3 weeks, for 2 separate groups of cows. Two boredom-associated behaviors significantly decreased when the object was present compared with when it was not present: ‘idling' behavior and unsuccessful robotic milking attempts ‘refusals'. In addition, there was a significant increase in the occurrence of self-grooming during treatment weeks, when the novel object was present. These results suggest that idling and refusals may be behavioral indicators of boredom in dairy cows.