Graduate Student Literature Review: What is known about the eliminative behaviors of dairy cattle?

The eliminative behaviors of dairy cattle include frequencies and distribution over time and space for defecations and urinations, how the animal responds to cow-related and environmental factors by way of altered patterns of defecation and urination, and how an animal carries out and responds to its own acts of elimination. This review discusses the available literature to first define and describe eliminative behaviors of dairy cattle; what follows is a discussion on what can affect eliminative behaviors and methods for managing them. Information regarding these behaviors is sparse for dairy cattle and is largely centered around frequencies and distributions over the day.