Advances in understanding behavioral needs and improving the welfare of calves and heifers

Management factors affecting dairy calves have broad impacts on behavioral development and implications for long-term welfare, and research in this area is increasingly focused on understanding the behavioral needs of the calf, to refine management and improve understanding of welfare. In this chapter, we summarize recent research addressing behavioral needs of pre-weaned calves and post-weaned heifers, encompassing aspects of social interactions and feeding, rest and comfort, and opportunities for other behavioral expression. In general, evidence suggests welfare and performance benefits of accommodating more natural behavioral expression, including social contact, higher milk intakes fed via a teat, dietary variety, and space and resources to accommodate preferred activities, such as grooming and play. Throughout these sections, consequences of restricting these behaviors includes development of abnormal oral behaviors. Emerging themes of this area of research include consideration of individual differences and implications and approaches to accommodate broader behavioral expression through increasing environmental complexity.

Optimizing welfare in transport and slaughter of cattle

Transport represents one of the most stressful events an animal may experience. Its impact on the welfare of beef and dairy cattle is frequently underestimated, as are the effects of transport on carcass quality issues such as bruises and dark cutting beef. For ease of discussion, the process is broken down into three phases: pre-transport, transport and arrival at slaughter. The pre-transport phase includes selection of animals to be removed from herds and determining their fitness for travel, and making preparations based upon weather conditions, time and distance to the ultimate destination. The behavioral tendency of cattle to stand during transport increases stress, fatigue and the potential for injury as time in transit increases, especially for compromised animals. Upon arrival at slaughter, animals should exit at that their own speed into an alleyway that provides an obvious unrestricted path to follow in route to a holding pen. The holding pen should provide immediate access to water and be large enough to avoid overcrowding of animals. The movement of animals from the pre-slaughter holding pen to the alleyway leading to the stun box should move in an orderly and calm manner with little, or preferably no use of prodding devices. Once the animal enters the restrainer, stunning should proceed without delay.

Developments in housing of cattle to promote health and welfare

While housing systems have served to provide shelter and protection from predation, they have also been associated with negative effects on cow health and welfare. Efforts in the dairy sector have had significant impact on transition cow housing, feeding and resting behaviors, and protection from climate extremes. While consumers of dairy products continue to demand that cows graze pasture, cows appear to value the benefits of housing. Well-designed freestall housing, with comfortable deep bedded stalls, sized to the animals using them, in pens that promote feed access for all of the cows to eat simultaneously, within barns designed to protect the cows from extremes of climate, have proven that we can house cattle successfully. The cow continues to live within a complex hierarchical social system within these buildings, and it is incumbent on our designs to allow cows to exhibit a wide range of natural behaviors to enhance their well-being.

Dairy cattle welfare and other aspects of sustainability

Welfare and other aspects of sustainability are becoming increasingly important in consumer purchasing decisions. This chapter introduces a number of key welfare issues affecting the dairy industry that need system change, including lameness, mastitis and aspects of calf management. Other major topics concerning the sustainability of dairy production are: minimising grain use, feeding high protein leaves of shrubs and trees, reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as by changing diet to reduce methane output, and improving labelling and traceability.

Developing effective welfare measures for cattle

This chapter focuses on the performance characteristics a welfare measure should possess in order to be considered valid for the assessment of animal welfare. It presents a choice of validation measures that can be used to assess the welfare of cattle and discusses ways they can be collected in practice. The chapter also presents the various definitions of animal welfare and how these definitions can affect the measures that are chosen.

Advances in understanding the needs and improving the welfare of transition dairy cows

One of the most challenging time periods in a dairy cow’s life is when she gives birth and transitions into lactation (the ‘transition’ period). This chapter reviews the latest research assessing the welfare of transition cows. The chapter begins by focusing on the biological health of dairy cows before and after giving birth, as cows are at high risk of disease post-calving. It then goes on to discuss the affective states of transition dairy dairy cows, including pain associated with labor and disease. Finally, the chapter concludes by assessing the natural maternal behavior of cows before calving through a case study.

Advances in precision livestock farming techniques for monitoring dairy cattle welfare

This chapter reviews advances in precision livestock farming techniques for monitoring dairy cattle welfare. It begins by describing the potential of PLF technology linked to the Five Domains framework, then goes into more detail by focusing on the use of precision livestock farming techniques for each of the five domains. Finally, the chapter reviews the need for data processing algorithms.

Advances in understanding pain and stress in cows

This chapter provides definitions of pain and stress, particularly focusing on the issue that 'stress' as a stand-alone generic term may not be helpful in terms of advancing our understanding of the impact of animal management on animal welfare. For cattle, as for other animals managed by humans, it is necessary to consider the source of 'stress' and to consider the general and specific animal responses to different contexts and events. It outlines the standard methods of assessing pain and stress, then presents a number of new methods that are being used to assess the experiential aspects, explains their theoretical background and how they allow us to gain a better understanding of the experience of pain and stress in cattle than previous methods with respect to the major sources of pain and stress. Finally, the chapter provides a case study describing a situation where these approaches have led to clear recent improvements in practice that are having real benefits for animals under commercial management.

Developing effective training and certification schemes for improving on-farm dairy cattle welfare

This chapter discusses developing effective training and certification schemes for improving on-farm dairy cattle welfare. It begins by reviewing the selection of measures that can be used for assessing animal welfare, focusing firstly on animal-based measures, then moves on to review resource and management based measures. The chapter also discusses the four welfare quality principles – feeding, housing, health and behaviour – and how dairy cattle welfare can be affected by the quality these four principles. Training of assessors is also discussed, before a summary of why using a combination of resource-based, management-based and animal-based measures is the best way to ensure good welfare in animals such as dairy cattle.

Advances in understanding cognition and learning in cattle

Understanding the cognitive capacities of cattle is central when designing husbandry environments and developing handling regimes. This chapter outlines the current knowledge on cattle learning and cognition, with special emphasis on their socio-cognitive capacities. Cattle easily learn features and spatial cues and can remember these for a long period of time. They are also highly trainable and can be taught complex tasks. While there is a gap in knowledge of how cattle recognise the physical properties of their environment, there is a good understanding about their social discrimination and recognition skills, all of which are of high relevance for maintaining group cohesion. Applied research should focus on how husbandry environments and daily management routines can be adapted to foster cattle’s cognitive development. By using their cognitive capacities in the conceptualisation of handling regimes, we may further ensure a safer work environment for handlers whilst at the same time safeguard the welfare of the animals.