Heart Rate Variability as an Indicator of Chronic Stress Caused by Lameness in Dairy Cows

Abstract The objective of this study was to examine associations between milking temperament, parity and milk production traits in primiparous and multiparous dairy cows. Twenty-one primiparous and nineteen multiparous Holstein Friesian cows were involved in the investigation on a Hungarian dairy farm. Cows’ stepping behaviour, milk yield and average milking speed were recorded once a month over an entire lactation, during morning milking. Milking temperament was scored by direct human observation on a 5-point-scale (1=very nervous, 5=very quiet) during udder preparation and milking. Multiparous cows showed a little more excitable behaviour at milking than during udder preparation (Mann-Whitney U=14165.00, P=0.032), and they were calmer at premilking preparation than primiparous cows (Mann-Whitney U=14046.00, P=0.001). Milking temperament of multiparous cows during udder preparation was associated with milking speed: nervous cows let down their milk slower (F=9.102, df= 1, P=0.003). Further experiments are needed to repeat the milking temperament test along with sensors measuring heart rate variability of cows in order to better understand the milking behaviour of cows.

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Heart rate, heart rate variability, faecal glucocorticoid metabolites and avoidance response of dairy cows before and after changeover to an automatic milking system

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2017.029 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 301-313 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Viktor Jurkovich ◽

Fruzsina Luca Kézér ◽

Ferenc Ruff ◽

Mikolt Bakony ◽

Margit Kulcsár ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Heart Rate Variability ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Dairy Farm ◽

Human Interaction ◽

Small Scale ◽

Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites ◽

Before And After ◽

Automatic Milking ◽

Two Phases

The heart rate variability (HRV) parameters of dairy cows were monitored during parlour (PARL) and the later installed automatic (AMS) milking on a small-scale commercial dairy farm in Hungary. The aim of the study was to assess stress in relation to the type of milking and the frequency of human interaction. Parlour milking involved regular moving and crowding of the animals with frequent human interaction, which were much less frequent in automatic milking. The first phase of the study was conducted prior to the changeover [n = 27] and the second two months afterwards [n = 19 (of the cows from the first phase)]. Heart rate (HR) was recorded by the Polar RS800 CX recording system. HRV parameters indicative of sympathovagal balance were calculated for periods of lying and standing in the barn, waiting before milking and milking, respectively. Morning and evening faecal glucocorticoid concentrations were also measured. Fear of humans was tested by an avoidance distance test. Baseline HRV parameters showed no difference (P > 0.05) between the two systems. In the periods before, during and after milking a higher sympathetic tone was detected in cows in the PARL phase. Mean faecal glucocorticoid concentrations were higher at the time of parlour milking. The avoidance distance did not differ between the two phases. The results suggest that automatic milking might be less stressful for cows than parlour milking, possibly due to the shorter duration of restraint after milking and the less frequent human interaction.

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