The economic, environmental and welfare implications of alternative systems of accommodating dairy cows during the winter months

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 838 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. French ◽  
K. O. Driscoll ◽  
B. Horan ◽  
L. Shalloo
Keyword(s):  
Body Temperature ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Adult Cattle ◽  
Capital Costs ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Maintain Body Temperature

Pasture grazed in situ is one of the most competitive and sustainable feeding systems for dairy cows globally because of a low environmental footprint, the potential for excellent animal welfare and the relatively low cost in the production and utilisation of the feed. However, because of seasonal variation in grass production and inclement weather conditions, dairy cattle may have to be accommodated and/or fed off pasture. There are numerous infrastructural options for achieving this and the focus of the present paper was to review the research and discuss the merits of these alternate animal accommodation systems, focussing on the impact that they have on the environment, animal welfare and farm profitability relative to pasture-only systems. Research data showed that dairy cow welfare can be protected in a range of well managed alternative winter accommodation. In a temperate climate, such as that which pertains in Ireland, adequately fed adult cattle will not use extra feed energy to maintain body temperature when accommodated outdoors and exposed to the effects of wind, rain and low temperatures, as the heat produced from the digestion of feed is in excess of the requirement to maintain body temperature. The main welfare challenge of a wintering system in such conditions is to provide suitable lying facilities for cows to express normal lying behaviour and provide adequate feed. The primary economic focus of pasture-based systems should be to maximise the length of the grass-grazing season and, consequently, to minimise the period off paddock. Provided that body condition targets can be met, there will be minimal effect of wintering system on dairy cow productivity and the only economic differences will be in costs. The cost analysis should combine the capital costs of construction financed over its useful life and the annual operating costs, including labour.

scholarly journals Dairy Cow Health and Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity

Dairy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Dirk von Soosten ◽  
Ulrich Meyer ◽  
Gerhard Flachowsky ◽  
Sven Dänicke
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Emission Intensity ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emission ◽  
Energy Requirement ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Animal Diseases ◽  
Cow Health ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this review is to identify the main influencing factors related to dairy cow health as it impacts the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions considering known data presented in the literature. For this study, we define the emission intensity as CO2 equivalents per kilogram of milk. In dairy cows, a high dry matter (DM) intake (25 kg/d) leads to an higher absolute methane emission compared to a lower DM intake (10 kg/d). However, the emission intensity is decreased at a high performance level. The emissions caused by DM intake to cover the energy requirement for maintenance are distributed over a higher milk yield. Therefore, the emission intensity per kilogram of product is decreased for high-yielding animals with a high DM intake. Apart from that, animal diseases as well as poor environmental or nutritional conditions are responsible for a decreased DM intake and a compromised performance. As a result, animal diseases not only mean reduced productivity, but also increased emission intensity. The productive life-span of a dairy cow is closely related to animal health, and the impact on emission intensity is enormous. A model calculation shows that cows with five to eight lactations could have a reduced emission intensity of up to 40% compared to animals that have left the herd after their first lactation. This supports the general efforts to increase longevity of dairy cows by an improved health management including all measures to prevent diseases.

scholarly journals Study of animal welfare status in dairy cow herds in Hungary

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-516 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.T. Gudaj ◽  
E. Brydl ◽  
J. Lehoczky ◽  
I. Komlósi
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Normal Behaviour ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Welfare Measures

Animal welfare is a hot topic among consumers, producers and researches nowadays. The major welfare problems of dairy cows are mastitis, lameness, and any conditions which lead to impaired reproduction, inability to express normal behaviour, emergency physiological responses or injury. This paper summarizes preliminary results of project taken in 27 Hungarian dairy farms evaluating general animal welfare. The most important areas for improving animals? wellbeing are related to facilities and comfort of resting. Findings include slippery floors, cows struggling laying and standing in cubicles. Other measures include hair loss, hocks, neck rail injuries and number of thin cows (Body Condition Score 1 and 2). Mouldy silage and low quality of other feedstuff was also found. In conclusion, preliminary results confirm strong demand for monitoring farms and discussions with managers and farmers about welfare measures needed to be taken on farms immediately.

scholarly journals The Effect of a Restricted Feed Ration on Dairy Cow Response to Containment From Feed Using a Virtual Fence

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia I. Colusso ◽  
Cameron E. F. Clark ◽  
Alexandra C. Green ◽  
Sabrina Lomax
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiment ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Feed Restriction ◽  
Forward Movement ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Lactating Dairy Cows ◽  
Feed Source ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Dairy cattle are offered varying amounts of feed which they deplete through time. A reduction in the amount of feed allocated to cows may impact on their containment using a virtual fence (VF). Pre-commercial neckbands (eShepherd®, Agersens, Melbourne, VIC) deliver an audio tone (AT) to the individual cow when it reaches the VF, and this is followed by an electrical pulse (EP) if they continue forward movement. No further stimuli are delivered if the cow stops or turns around. Thirty-four non-lactating dairy cows were used across three blocks in a controlled field experiment evaluating the impact of feed restriction on the exclusion of cows from a lucerne cube feed source using a VF. Within each block cows were pre-trained to the VF system for 6-days on pasture before being fed either a (1) Restricted (R, 12 ± 0.3 kg) or (2) Above maintenance (+M, 20 kg) lucerne cube ration each day. The treatment groups were then tested for four 30 min tests (T1–T4) in test paddocks of 100 × 20 m. For testing, a VF was set at 30 m from the paddock entry and 2 kg per cow of lucerne cube feed was placed at 90 m. Only R cows crossed the VF to access the feed, thereby receiving more AT and EP stimuli in T1 and T2 as compared to +M cows (P ≤ 0.03). However, there was no difference between treatments in T3 and T4 as cows learned the test routine and to remain within the VF in the paddock context. These results suggest that feed restriction may impact the exclusion of dairy cows from feed using a VF, but this effect is limited, and cows can learn to remain within a VF even when fed a restricted ration.

scholarly journals  Behaviour of lame cows: a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 12) ◽  
pp. 581-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Olechnowicz ◽  
JM Jaskowski
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
High Standard ◽  
White Line ◽  
Leg Injuries ◽  
Cow Welfare ◽  
Sole Ulcers ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Lying Down

Claw horn disorders, infectious diseases of hooves and leg injuries cause lameness in dairy cows. However, such diseases as sole haemorrhages, sole ulcers or white line diseases, cause clinical lameness. Lameness reduces milk production, the fertility of cows and also causes earlier culling of cows, as well resultings in a deterioration of their welfare. In this review we focus on the impact of lameness on bovine behaviour. The time spent lying down is an important behaviour of dairy cows. As an increased locomotion score is associated with an increased percentage of cows lying down, also the position of cows within the milking parlour is associated with lameness. Lame cows are more likely to present toward the end of milking. Clinical lameness is a chronic stressor, reducing progesterone concentrations prior to oestrus, and resulting in reduced sexual behaviour; however, lame cows have the same potential period of oestrus when compared with non-lame cows. Hoof diseases, particularly those which are a source of pain, also reduce animal welfare. A high standard of cow welfare may be achieved by improving the lives of animals and the people who work with them. A lack of comfort while lying presents a significant risk for lameness. Improvements in comfort on more than 75% of farms (32 out of a total number of 53 farms) reduced the incidence of mastitis, while on 42 farms it reduced the prevalence of lameness. The keeping of cows on the straw bed of stalls does not only improve animal welfare, mainly through the greater comfort of the floor, but has also been showed to increase eating and ruminating behaviour. Cows also prefer straw to sand bedding and lay down longer on straw than on sand; however, cleanliness and hoof health have been shown to be better on sand. Apart from comfort, the main factors which promote improvements in bovine welfare and health, include good management of dairy farms, keeping cows in free stalls with accompanying regular exercise, and a long time spent at pasture. The prevalence of clinical lameness was demonstrated to be higher on farms using mattresses when compared with farms using deep-bedded stalls. No differences were found in behaviour among cows with different degrees of lameness housed in mattress stalls. Hence, measures of laying behaviour are not good indicators of lameness.  

scholarly journals Association of lameness and mastitis with return-to-service oestrus detection in the dairy cow

2019 ◽  
Vol 185 (14) ◽  
pp. 442-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Remnant ◽  
Martin J Green ◽  
Jon Huxley ◽  
James Hirst-Beecham ◽  
Rhys Jones ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Population Attributable Risk ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Clinical Mastitis ◽  
Attributable Risk ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Expected Time ◽  
The Impact

Oestrus detection is an important part of maintaining efficient reproductive performance in dairy herds. Both lameness and mastitis are common diseases of dairy cows that may impact oestrus detection. A set of data from 28 herds identified as having good recording of clinical mastitis and lameness incidents was used for the study. Logistic regression was used to identify associations between disease episodes within 100 days of insemination and changes in the probability of reinsemination at either 18–24 or 19–26 days after an unsuccessful insemination. Population attributable risk was calculated to understand the impact these diseases may have at a herd level. Lameness 0–28 days after the first insemination of the interval decreased the odds of a reinsemination at an appropriate time by approximately 20 per cent. Clinical mastitis 1–28 days prior to the first insemination of the interval increased the odds of reinsemination at the expected time by approximately 20 per cent. The associations were similar for either interservice interval outcome. Population attributable risk suggested that the effect of these diseases on the probability of reinsemination at the expected time at a population level would likely be extremely small.

scholarly journals Impact of Feeding of Legume‑Cereal mixture Silages on Dairy Cow Milk Thermostability and Quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 647-653
Author(s):  
Oto Hanuš ◽  
Irena Němečková ◽  
Jan Pozdíšek ◽  
Igor Huňády ◽  
Marcela Klimešová ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Freezing Point ◽  
Raw Milk ◽  
Milk Quality ◽  
Cow Milk ◽  
Component Part ◽  
Bulk Milk ◽  
The Impact

Current changes in climate (increasing drought) and the rise in prices of protein concentrate feed are the reasons for the increasing interest in growing and production and increasing silages from legume‑cereal mixtures (LCM) in rations for dairy cows. Another reason is to improve the soil fertility using LCM in crops rotation. The impact of feeding of dairy cows (Czech Fleckvieh and Holstein, 50 herds) on milk quality was monitored (for 3 years) when modifying the roughage feeding rations by additions of LCM silages. Bulk milk samples were tested (n = 641 (15 herds) LCM as experiment and 2,428 (35) as control). LCM was higher in crude protein, lactose, solids non‑fat and total microorganisms (from P ≤ 0.05 to P ≤ 0.001). The lower was LCM in the milk freezing point and the urea content (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001). The fat content and the somatic cell count were insignificantly different (P > 0.05). There was a significant effect of LCM on milk thermostability (18.85 < 20.9 minutes, P < 0.05). The residues of inhibitory substances in milk were not recorded in the LCM group. The LCM application is a risk‑free way of replacement of roughage component part of dairy cow feeding rations with regard to raw milk quality.

Impact of Rumen-Protected Niacin on Milk Production Performance and Blood Biochemical Indexes of Dairy Cows Under Mild Heat Stress

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Chen ◽  
Guang Wang ◽  
Xingbo Yu ◽  
Li Zhen ◽  
Yongli Qu
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Body Temperature ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Respiration Rate ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Production Performance ◽  
Mild Heat ◽  
Blood Biochemical

To study the influence of rumen-protected niacin on mild heat-stressed dairy cow, 30 healthy high-yielding dairy cows with similar parity were selected and randomly divided into three groups and were fed the rations with 0g/d, 6g/d and 12g/d rumen-protected niacin respectively. The results showed that the dairy cows were in mild heat stress during the experiment and the time of test day significantly affected the milk yield, FCM and respiration rate of cows. Rumen-protected niacin supplement neither altered the dairy cow’s body temperature, skin temperature and respiration rate, nor affected their milk yield and milk quality; however, it reduced the level of triglyceride and urea in serum.

Effects of Retinoic Acid and 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 on IFN-gamma Secretion by Mononuclear Leukocytes from Nulliparous and Postparturient Dairy Cattle

2000 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 92-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burim Ametaj ◽  
Brian Nonnecke ◽  
Ronald Horst ◽  
Donald Beitz
Keyword(s):  
Retinoic Acid ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Pokeweed Mitogen ◽  
Mononuclear Leukocytes ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Ifn Gamma ◽  
Dihydroxyvitamin D ◽  
1,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D

Individual and combined effects of several isomers of retinoic acid (RA) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25-(OH)2D3) on interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) secretion by blood mononuclear leukocytes (MNL) from nulliparous and postparturient Holstein cattle were evaluated in vitro. In the first experiment, effects on incubation period (24 to 72 hours) and time of supplementation (0 to 32 hours) with all-trans, 9-cis, 13-cis-, and 9,13-dicis-RAs (0 to 100 nM) on IFN-gamma secretion by pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated (0 and 10 mug/ml) MNL from nulliparous cattle were evaluated. In the second experiment, MNL from postparturient cows (bled at 0, 2, 4, and 16 days postpartum) were stimulated with PWM (0 and 10 mug/ml) in the presence of RA isomers (9-cis- or 9,13-dicis-RA; 0 to 100 nM), 1,25-(OH)2D3 (0 to 100 nM), or with combinations of these metabolites. The results show that individual isomers of RA had no effect on IFN-gamma secretion by PWM-stimulated MNL from nulliparous or postparturient cows. Furthermore 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 inhibited IFN-gamma secretion by MNL from nulliparous and postparturient dairy cows; however, the degree of inhibition was greater when 9-cis- and 9,13-dicis-RA were also present in the cultures. Finally mononuclear leukocytes from postparturient dairy cows produced substantially less IFN-gamma than did MNL from nulliparous cattle. It is concluded that retinoic acids individually did not affect the capacity of leukocytes from dairy cattle to secrete IFN-gamma. This result is in marked contrast to studies in monogastric species indicating that RAs inhibit IFN-gamma secretion by peripheral blood T cells. Inhibition of IFN-gamma secretion by 1,25-(OH)2D3 was potentiated by 9-cis- and 9,13-di-cis-retinoics acids, suggesting that an excess of dietary vitamins A and D may compromise further the naturally immunosuppressed postparturient dairy cow. Additional research is necessary to determine if the combined effects of these metabolites on IFN-gamma secretion represent an increased susceptibility of the dairy cow to infectious diseases during the periparturient period. Lower secretion of IFN-gamma by MNL from postpartutient dairy cows, relative to nulliparous cattle, suggests that recently-calved cows are naturally immunosuppressed.

Advancing dairy farming profitability through research

2001 ◽  
pp. 17-22
Author(s):  
J.R. Caradus ◽  
D.A. Clark
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Dairy Cow ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Pasture Management ◽  
Nitrogen Fertiliser ◽  
Grass Endophyte ◽  
Forage Species ◽  
Development Outcomes ◽  
Dairy Cow Nutrition ◽  
The Impact

The New Zealand dairy industry recognises that to remain competitive it must continue to invest in research and development. Outcomes from research have ensured year-round provision of low-cost feed from pasture while improving productivity. Some of these advances, discussed in this paper, include the use of white clover in pasture, understanding the impacts of grass endophyte, improved dairy cow nutrition, the use of alternative forage species and nitrogen fertiliser to improve productivity, demonstration of the impact of days-in-milk on profitability, and the use of feed budgeting and appropriate pasture management. Keywords: dairy, profitability, research and development

114 What Is the Impact of Dairy Influence Cattle on the Traditional Beef Industry Structure?

2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 38-39
Author(s):  
Bradley J Johnson ◽  
Luke Fuerniss
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Dairy Herd ◽  
The United States ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Industry Structure ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Beef Production ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Beef Industry ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The U.S. cow inventory includes approximately 31 million beef cows and 9 million dairy cows, so flow of cattle from dairies into beef production influences the traditional beef industry structure. Dairy-influenced cattle have historically entered the beef supply chain as cull cows and calf-fed Holstein steers. Culled dairy cows account for approximately half of the cows harvested in the United States annually. Fed steers and heifers of dairy influence are estimated to account for 15% of annual steer and heifer slaughter. Advancements in data availability, genomics, and reproductive technologies have enabled more precise selection of dairy replacement heifers and more pregnancies to be allocated to a terminal sire. Recently, the use of beef semen to breed dairy cows that are not desirable for producing replacement heifers has become more widespread. Beef-on-dairy calves are often moved to calf ranches shortly after birth where they are weaned and grown before transitioning to traditional grow yards or feedlots. In comparison to traditional range beef production, calves of dairy origin are weaned at a younger age, have more restricted mobility early in life, and are fed a delivered ration for a greater number of days. While carcasses of dairy-originated fed cattle excel in subcutaneous leanness and marbling, calves originating from dairies typically experience greater morbidity, poorer feed conversion, and poorer dressed yields compared to native fed cattle. Future opportunities to optimize beef production from the dairy herd include refining sire selection to consistently produce high quality calves, reducing variation in calfhood management, and identifying optimal nutrition and growth technology programs for calves from dairies.

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