The effects of shade on cattle mobility, behavior, and dark cutting during lairage at a commercial slaughter facility in the United States.

Time at the slaughter plant during the preslaughter phase is a critical period in livestock production. Although time spent in this phase is relatively short, it can significantly impact cattle comfort and welfare. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of shade during lairage on cattle mobility, behavior, and dark cutting at a commercial slaughter facility. Two shaded (148.6 m2 of 70% shade cloth) and two non-shaded pens were treatment pens. One hundred forty-two groups of cattle were included in the study between May and October 2023. Cattle mobility was scored using the Meat Institute's four-point scale (1 = normal to 4 = extremely reluctant to move) as animals both entered and exited their lairage pen. Video footage of cattle during lairage was evaluated using instantaneous scan sampling with a 5-minute interval to quantify lying, standing, drinking, and motion. The frequency of mounting was also evaluated using behavior sampling during the entire lairage period. Treatment, time in lairage, and space allowance were predictor variables for all behavior outcomes; treatment, sex, weight, space allowance, and temperature humidity index (THI) were predictor variables for dark cutting. There was no impact of shade on behavior and quality outcomes (P > 0.05). An increase in lairage duration was associated with an increased odds of cattle lying down (OR: 1.0064, 95% CI: 1.0057, 1.0071, P < 0.0001) and decreased odds of cattle motion (OR: 0.9937, 95% CI: 0.9889, 0.9979, P = 0.0057). An increase in space allowance was associated with an increased odds of cattle lying down (OR: 1.9112, 95% CI: 1.6012, 2.2693, P < 0.0001), decreased odds of cattle motion (OR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.48, P = 0.0078), and increased odds of dark cutting (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.80, 3.44, P < 0.0001). An increase of THI was associated with decreased odds of dark cutting (OR: 0.96, 95% CI: 0.92, 0.99, P = 0.0189). All steer pen groups were associated with decreased odds of dark cutting (OR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.70, P = 0.0017). A survey was also conducted with plant employees to provide insight to their perspectives on the use of shade in lairage (n = 13). The majority (84.6%) of employees agreed that shade should be used in holding pens. While shade was not found to impact measured outcomes, this study provided important insight on how lairage environments influence cattle welfare.