EVALUATION OF THE BEHAVIOR OF BOVINE AND BUBALINOS DURING EXHIBITION AGROINDUSTRIAL FAIR OF THE LOW AMAZONAS

Abstract

The aim was to evaluate the major behavioral changes of animals confined to the agricultural fair. The work was carried out in the Alacid Nunes exhibition park, during the XXXIX Agricultural and Livestock Fair of the Lower Amazon Region in 2016. The leisure activities were observed, feeding, ruminating 8 (eight) cattle and 8 (eight) buffaloes, with weights and similar ages. In the exhibition park, the animals were housed in two 4x4 m 2 stalls, with drinking fountains and troughs, covered by asbestos cement tiles, with a height of 3 m. For the statistical analysis, the Student's T test was used, at 5% of probability, using the software MINITAB® 2014. The time spent for leisure was different between cattle and buffaloes at 21h (12.00 ± 9.37 x 9.38 ± 6.20). The time spent in rumination was higher in buffaloes at 09h (4.09 ± 5.30 x 10.00 ± 10.65), 15h (6.13 ± 8.97 x 10.58 ± 8.56) and 9h (16.04 ± 9.65 x 12.29 ± 5.74), the buffaloes spent more time ruminating at the cooler time of day 06h (11.53 ± 10.91 x 16.43 ± 11.78). The feeding peak was observed for 9h (11.69 ± 8.67 x 3.84 ± 7.00) and for buffalo the feeding peak at 9h (1.45 ± 2.18 x 7.17 ± 5, 35). From the total leisure time of buffaloes, 77.02% occurred with animals in lay posture and 17.27% in Foot. In turn, the bovines had 69.75% of this activity in Foot and 30.25% in lying. It is concluded that cattle give more time in feeding, leisure and rumination during hotter periods of the day, in contrast the buffaloes perform their activities in the colder moments of the day.KEYWORDS: Buffaloes, Behavior, Nellore, Thermal stress.