Effects of feed delivery frequency in different environmental conditions on time budget of lactating dairy cows

This study aimed to examine the influence of feed delivery frequency and environmental conditions on daily time budget of lactating dairy cows. The study was carried out in two commercial dairy farms with Holstein herds. Fifty lactating dairy cows milked in automatic milking units (AMS farm) and 96 primiparous lactating dairy cows milked in a conventional milking parlour (conventional farm) were exposed to different frequencies of feed delivery replicated in different periods of the year (warm and mild) that were characterized by different temperature-humidity indices (THI). On each farm, feeding treatments consisted of two different feed delivery frequencies (1× and 2× on the AMS farm; 2× and 3× on the conventional farm). All behaviours of the cows were monitored for the last 8 d of each treatment period using continuous video recording. The two data sets from different farm systems were considered separately for analysis. On both farms, environmental conditions expressed as THI affected time budgets and the pattern of the behavioural indices throughout the day. The variation in the frequency of feed delivery seems to affect the cow's time budget only in a limited way. Standing time of cows on the conventional farm and the time spent by cows in the milking waiting area on the AMS farm both increased in response to increased feeding frequency. Although feed delivery frequency showed limited influence on cow's time budget, the effect on standing time could be carefully considered, especially on farms equipped with AMS where the type of cow traffic system (e.g., milking first) might amplify the negative consequences of more frequent feed delivery. Further investigations are required to evaluate the effect of THI and feed delivery frequency on other aspects of behavioural activity.

Download Full-text

Nutrient status, hematological and blood metabolite profile of mid-lactating dairy cows during wet and dry seasons raised under Indonesian tropical environmental conditions

Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology ◽

10.31893/jabb.22007 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Andriyani Astuti ◽

Rochijan Rochijan ◽

Budi Prasetyo Widyobroto ◽

Cuk Tri Noviandi

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Nutrient Status ◽

Metabolite Profile ◽

Lactating Dairy Cows ◽

Blood Metabolite ◽

Dry Seasons ◽

Wet And Dry Seasons

Download Full-text

Evaluation of conductive cooling of lactating dairy cows under controlled environmental conditions

Journal of Dairy Science ◽

10.3168/jds.2014-8583 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 98 (3) ◽

pp. 1759-1771 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

X.A. Ortiz ◽

J.F. Smith ◽

F. Rojano ◽

C.Y. Choi ◽

J. Bruer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Lactating Dairy Cows

Download Full-text

Influence of feed delivery frequency on behavioural activity of dairy cows in freestall barns

Journal of Agricultural Engineering ◽

10.4081/jae.2013.281 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 44 (2s) ◽

Author(s):

Elisabetta Riva ◽

Gabriele Mattachini ◽

Luciana Bava ◽

Anna Sandrucci ◽

Alberto Tamburini ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Video Recording ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

Time Budgets ◽

Feeding Frequency ◽

Feeding Management ◽

Behavioral Indices ◽

Behavioural Activity ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Conventional Farm ◽

Lying Down

Research on feeding management in more competitive free-stall settings indicates that frequency of delivery of fresh feed stimulates feed bunk attendance and can affect other aspects of cows’ time budgets apart from feeding such as time spent standing vs. lying down. The objective of this study was to examine how the frequency of feed delivery affects the behavior in two farms, one with a conventional and one with automatic milking system (AMS). The feeding frequency was varied from two to three times per day in the conventional dairy farm; one to two times per day in the AMS farm. The experiment was carried out in two different seasons. All behaviours of the cows were monitored in continuous by video recording. As expected, behavioral indices have been significantly affected by environmental conditions both in conventional farm and AMS farm. The variation in the frequency of feed delivery seems to affect the cow behavioural activity only in a limited way and modify only slightly the daily averages of the time spent in different activities mainly increasing the time cows spend standing (+4- 5%).

Download Full-text

Heat load-induced changes in lying behavior and lying cubicle occupancy of lactating dairy cows in a naturally ventilated barn

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/aoas-2020-0113 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 0 (0) ◽

Author(s):

Julia Heinicke ◽

Aline Ott ◽

Christian Ammon ◽

Thomas Amon

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Heat Load ◽

Video Recording ◽

High Sensitivity ◽

The Body ◽

Lactating Dairy Cows ◽

Holstein Friesian ◽

Humidity Index ◽

Induced Changes ◽

Friesian Cows

AbstractDairy cows show a high sensitivity to changes in barn climate, which can result in physiological and ethological responses because of the homeostatic mechanisms to regulate the body temperature under heat load. The objective of this study was to analyze the lying behavior and occupancy of lying cubicles of lactating high-yielding Holstein-Friesian cows throughout the day during three summer months and three winter months. The study was conducted in summer 2016 and in winter 2016/17 in a naturally ventilated barn in Brandenburg, Germany. The determined temperature-humidity index (THI) of the barn was calculated using the measured ambient temperature and relative humidity at eight locations inside the barn. The THI was used to define the heat load the cows were exposed to. The activity of the cows was measured with accelerometers, and a video recording was made to analyze the occupancy of the three rows of lying cubicles. The results indicated that increasing heat load led to a decrease in lying time; therefore, the daily lying time differed between summer and winter months. In addition, there were different patterns of lying behavior during the course of the day, depending on the season. A sharp decline in lying time could be observed especially in the afternoon hours during the summer. The occupancy of lying cubicles was also influenced by the heat load. The data could be helpful to enable evaluation with algorithms for early detection of heat load.

Download Full-text