A first time for everything: The influence of parity on the behavior of transition dairy cows

Over the last 20 years an increasing amount of research has described how dairy cow behavior changes during the few weeks before and after parturition, also known as the transition period. Dairy cows experience several challenges during this period, including pain associated with pregnancy and labor, social stressors associated with pen moves, changes in diet, and navigating new routines that include daily milking in a parlor or automatic milking system. For cows calving for the first time (“primiparous”), these experiences may be particularly challenging compared with those animals who have calved previously (“multiparous”). The objectives of this review are to (1) summarize the research to date on behavioral differences between primiparous and multiparous animals during the transition period, (2) describe the effect of management practices, such as regrouping and milking, on primiparous animals, and (3) suggest management recommendations and future directions for research focused on the behavior of primiparous cows.