Resting Behaviour Of Cattle As An Option For Decisions Surrounding Administering Vaccines, Inoculation Or Other Chemical Treatments

Cattle rest in one of four positions. Resting describes lying in one of four normal resting positions – long, short, narrow or wide.

In the long position, cows rest with their heads extended forward. In the short position, they rest their heads along their side and go into active sleep. While in the narrow position, cattle rest more on their sternum with the neck in a slight crook and the rear legs close to the body. Their front legs may or may not be extended. In the wide position, cattle rest more on their sides with the rear legs extended. Another position is lateral recumbence where cattle lie totally on their sides with legs and head extended.