Genetics of behavioural adaptation of livestock to farming conditions: the case of cattle, pig, poultry and fish productions

Abstract

The genetic improvement of production traits induces modifications in the behaviour of livestock. The capacity of adaptation of animals to environmental changes contributes to high levels of production under a wide range of farming conditions. Including behavioural criteria in selective breeding programmes could become appropriate. This review summarizes the knowledge on genetic parameters (heritability values, genes and QTL) for behaviour in cattle, pigs, poultry and fish, and genetic correlations with production traits. The genetic strategies to improve the behavioural capacity for adaptation differ between these livestock productions. Feeding activity has to be recorded. The locomotor capacity of broilers and dairy cattle, and the docility of beef cattle need to be improved. In Pigs, aggressiveness could be reduced and maternal behaviour should be enhanced. There is a greater emphasis on acute sensitivity to environmental stress in laying hens because maladaptive social behaviour can arise. Difficulties to develop such strategies refer to variability between populations or lines, and the correlation between reactivity in an experimental environment and in commercial farming conditions is generally unknown. There should be important interactions between genetics and the environment that are seldom assessed. These questions should be addressed before integrating behavioural traits in selective breeding programs.