In intensive beef production systems, social dominance relationships among cattle and human-cattle relationships constantly affect cattle welfare. However, these factors have not been investigated to assess their long-term effects on cattle welfare. In this study, the relations of hair cortisol concentrations of group-housed pregnant cows with their social rank and avoidance distance when approached by humans were analysed. Thirty-two Japanese black cows were used in this study. Examinations were conducted six times throughout two years, and each cow was subjected to one-three examinations. Hair sampling was conducted on each examination day. The hair cortisol concentrations were measured using a cortisol enzyme immunoassay kit. Social behaviour recordings were made about 6 h on each examination day. The numbers of occurrences of butt, threat, chase, and avoidance behaviours of each animal were recorded using continuous recording methods, and the social rank score for each animal was calculated from the data. Avoidance distances from humans approaching were measured for 23 test cows during the first three examination days. Measurements were taken 5-10 min after the start of morning feeding. The relations between the hair cortisol concentration and social rank score or avoidance distance were analysed using a mixed-effects model or correlation analysis. Significant positive correlation was found between the social rank score and hair cortisol concentration (F1, 48 = 4.54, p = 0.038). No significant correlation was found between the cows' responsiveness to humans and their hair cortisol concentration (r = -0.004, p = 0.99, n = 23). The findings suggest that low-ranking cows had lower cortisol levels.
Keywords: animal welfare; avoidance distance; beef cattle; chronic stress; social dominance.