Dairy cow welfare: the role of research and development in addressing increasing scrutiny

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 924 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Fisher ◽  
J. R. Webster
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Stocking Density ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Dairy Management ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Cow Welfare

Pasture-based dairying in New Zealand and Australia has come under increasing animal welfare scrutiny as a result of changing public expectations for farm animal management. Concurrently, efficiency-driven changes in dairy management practices and a broadening of the feedbase beyond traditionally grazed pasture have resulted in increased intensification and stocking density within the dairy industries. This intensification has included a higher proportion of grain concentrates in the diet (particularly in Australia), and the greater management of cows off pasture and even in housing (particularly in New Zealand). Research to assess the animal welfare implications of these changes and to recommend good practice management has concentrated on issues of cow environments and cow feeding, including body condition. Research has shown that cows may be managed for a few hours per day on concrete surfaces without compromising their lying behaviour and other indicators of welfare, but that longer periods off pasture require the provision of a well drained and comfortable lying surface. Other research has defined the extremes of hot and cold/wet conditions beyond which cows benefit from provision of adequate shade and shelter. Research on cow body condition has indicated that welfare responses are aligned with measures of health and productivity in supporting the need to maintain a minimum body condition before calving and during the subsequent weight loss period of early lactation. Continued research, extension and industry adoption will enable dairy producers to address community expectations as they continue to change their farming practices.

scholarly journals Precision Technologies to Address Dairy Cattle Welfare: Focus on Lameness, Mastitis and Body Condition

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2253
Author(s):  
Severiano R. Silva ◽  
José P. Araujo ◽  
Cristina Guedes ◽  
Flávio Silva ◽  
Mariana Almeida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Farm Animals ◽  
Economic Sustainability ◽  
Farm Animal Welfare ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Technological Support ◽  
Technological Tools ◽  
Cow Welfare ◽  
Time Assessment

Specific animal-based indicators that can be used to predict animal welfare have been the core of protocols for assessing the welfare of farm animals, such as those produced by the Welfare Quality project. At the same time, the contribution of technological tools for the accurate and real-time assessment of farm animal welfare is also evident. The solutions based on technological tools fit into the precision livestock farming (PLF) concept, which has improved productivity, economic sustainability, and animal welfare in dairy farms. PLF has been adopted recently; nevertheless, the need for technological support on farms is getting more and more attention and has translated into significant scientific contributions in various fields of the dairy industry, but with an emphasis on the health and welfare of the cows. This review aims to present the recent advances of PLF in dairy cow welfare, particularly in the assessment of lameness, mastitis, and body condition, which are among the most relevant animal-based indications for the welfare of cows. Finally, a discussion is presented on the possibility of integrating the information obtained by PLF into a welfare assessment framework.

scholarly journals Management Practices and Milk Production in Dairy Donkey Farms Distributed Over the Italian Territory

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesca Dai ◽  
Giulia Segati ◽  
Emanuela Dalla Costa ◽  
Faith Burden ◽  
Andrew Judge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Single Person ◽  
Tactile Contact ◽  
Italian Territory ◽  
Production Characteristics

AbstractLimited information is available about the actual management characteristics of dairy donkeys in Southern Europe. The aim of the present study is to describe animal management of dairy donkey farms in Italy. Twelve farmers were asked to answer a questionnaire on the management of their animals and their farms distributed over the Italian territory. Six farms grouped their animals in paddocks according to the production characteristics (e.g. lactating, dry, stallions); three farms housed the stallions in single boxes. Most of the visited farms were family run and the number of animals cared for by a single person varied from five to 103 animals. All the farms but one performed mechanical milking with a modified goat milkmaid. Vaccinations were regularly performed only on two farms. All the foals received colostrum and suckled from their own mothers. Foals were nursed by their mother until 6-12 months old. During the separation period before milking, foals were usually (83%) housed in paddocks near their mothers with the possibility of visual and/or tactile contact, however such separations could be for up to 12 hours (17%). Even though the assessed sample was small, considerable differences were seen between farms, likely due to lack of uniform information available for the farmers. The adoption of scientific based procedures is suggested in order to improve both animal welfare and milk quality.

scholarly journals Survey of management practices of dairy cows grazing kale in Canterbury

2008 ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.G. Judson ◽  
G.R. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
Grazing Management ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Winter Diet

Many dairy cows, particularly in southern New Zealand have kale (Brassica olercaea) as a major component of their winter diet. Anecdotal evidence suggests variable results in cow body condition are achieved when kale is used as a component of the winter diet. A survey of crop yield, nutritive value and grazing management practices of kale crops was undertaken in Canterbury during winter 2007 to investigate possible causes of these variable results. Keywords: kale, utilisation, allowance, quality, dairy

scholarly journals Welfare Assessment of Dairy Cows in Small Farms in Bangladesh

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 394
Author(s):  
M. Ariful Islam ◽  
Arvind Sharma ◽  
S. Ahsan ◽  
S. Mazumdar ◽  
K.C Rudra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Farms ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol

Protocols for assessing the welfare of dairy cows in large scale intensive dairy systems in the developed world have been used extensively. Little attention has been paid to the use of similar welfare assessment protocols for small dairy enterprises in developing countries. We modified part of the standard assessment protocol and used it to assess aspects of the welfare of dairy cows in a field survey of 70 small farms in the Sirajgonj district of Bangladesh. Welfare indicators selected were mainly those of health and economic importance, such as lameness, lesions on the body and limbs, cleanliness levels, milk yield, and body condition. The study included physical examination of 700 cows and use of a structured questionnaire to collect data on health and management practices and farmers’ perspectives about animal welfare. Mean milk yield, averaged across farms, was 10.3 L/d (range 6.3–14.2) and body condition assessment indicated that cows were, on average, thin. Hygiene management was often poor, with soiling of body parts with faeces. The prevalence of lameness, at 4.3%, was less than has commonly been observed in larger, more intensive dairy farms, but body injuries were commonly detected at the carpal and hock joints (56 and 51% of cows, respectively). This suggests that floors and/or bedding to lie on were inadequate. Many farmers did not follow routine vaccination and deworming schedules (63% and 31%, respectively) and farmers were not generally aware of the concept of animal welfare. The study demonstrates some similar welfare issues to those that have been commonly identified in large, intensive units, but also some differences, in particular a failure to provide good floors, bedding, and basic health care.

scholarly journals Effects on Synchronization and Reproductive Efficiency of Delaying the Removal of the Intravaginal Progesterone Device by 24 h in the 5d Co-synch Protocol in Heifers

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 849
Author(s):  
Aitor Fernandez-Novo ◽  
Sergio Santos-Lopez ◽  
Jose Luis Pesantez-Pacheco ◽  
Natividad Pérez-Villalobos ◽  
Ana Heras-Molina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Artificial Insemination ◽  
Fixed Time ◽  
Reproductive Efficiency ◽  
Beef Heifers ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Commercial Farms ◽  
Beef Herds ◽  
Farm Economics

In beef herds, increasing animal welfare, improving reproductive performance and easing animal management are key goals in farm economics. We explored whether delaying the removal of the intravaginal progesterone device by 24 h in heifers synchronized with a 5d Co-synch 72-h protocol could improve reproductive efficiency of fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI). In experiment 1, we examined the total synchronization rate (TSR) in cycling Holstein heifers. Heifers (13.4 ± 0.69 mo.) were randomly assigned to the standard 5d Co-synch 56-h protocol (5dCo56; n = 10), 5d Co-synch 72-h (5dCo72; n = 17), or the modified 5d Co-synch 72-h protocol, in which removal of the progesterone device was delayed by 24 h (6dCo48; n = 19). In experiment 2, 309 cycling beef heifers on 18 commercial farms were subjected to the 5d Co-synch 72-h or 6-d Co-synch 48-h protocol and conception rate (CR) studied. In experiment 1, the three protocols led no differences on TSRs of 80.0% (5dCo56), 88.2% (5dCo72), and 89.5% (6dCo48). In experiment 2, the CR from the beef heifers, observed during two consecutive reproductive seasons did not differ: 59.7% for 5dCo72 and 62.0% for 6dCo48 (p = 0.907). Therefore, delaying removal by 24 h provides satisfactory results without reducing reproductive efficiency of heifers.

Linking on-farm dairy management practices to storm-flow fecal coliform loading for California coastal watersheds

2005 ◽  
Vol 107 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 407-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Lewis ◽  
E. R. Atwill ◽  
M. S. Lennox ◽  
L. Hou ◽  
B. Karle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fecal Coliform ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dairy Management ◽  
Coastal Watersheds ◽  
Storm Flow ◽  
On Farm

Campylobacter Colonization of Sibling Turkey Flocks Reared under Different Management Conditions

2004 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 1463-1468 ◽  
Author(s):  
KATIE SMITH ◽  
NANCY REIMERS ◽  
H. JOHN BARNES ◽  
BONG CHOON LEE ◽  
ROBIN SILETZKY ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Transmission ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Stocking Density ◽  
Production Cycle ◽  
Campylobacter Coli ◽  
Processing Plant ◽  
Sibling Pairs ◽  
Feed Withdrawal ◽  
Breeder Hens ◽  
Teaching Animal

Uncertainty exists concerning the key factors contributing to Campylobacter colonization of poultry, especially the possible role of vertical transmission from breeder hens to young birds. A longitudinal study of Campylobacter colonization was performed in two sibling pairs of turkey flocks (four flocks total). Each pair of sibling flocks shared breeder hen populations and was obtained from the same hatchery. One flock of each pair was grown on a commercial farm, and the other was grown in an instructional demonstration unit (Teaching Animal Unit [TAU]). Flocks were located within a 60-mi (96.8-km) radius. The time of placement, feed formulations, stocking density, and general husbandry were the same for both flocks, and each flock was processed at a commercial processing plant following standard feed withdrawal and transport protocols. Both flocks grown on the commercial farms became colonized with Campylobacter between weeks 2 and 3 and remained colonized until processing. Between 80 and 90% of isolates were Campylobacter coli, and the remainder were Campylobacter jejuni. In contrast, neither C. coli nor C. jejuni were isolated from either of the TAU flocks at any time during the production cycle. None of the fla types of Campylobacter from the breeders that provided poults to one of the commercial flocks matched those from the progeny. These results failed to provide evidence for vertical transmission and indicate that this type of transmission either did not occur or was not sufficient to render the TAU turkey flocks Campylobacter positive. Management practices such as proper litter maintenance, controlled traffic between the TAU farm and other turkey flocks, and other less well-defined aspects of turkey production were likely responsible for the absence of Campylobacter in the TAU flocks before harvest.

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