Effects of space allowance in the waiting area on agonistic interactions and heart rate of high and low ranking horned dairy cows

Blood in milk in horned dairy cows-Exploration of incidences and prevention opportunities

Husbandry of horned cows is one alternative to disbudding that respects the animals´ integrity. Concurrently, housing and management should be aligned with the animals' needs to minimize social interactions that can result in integument damage (ID) and udder injuries associated with blood in milk (BM). No information is available on incidences of BM, nor on specific preventive measures. Thus, this study aimed at investigating BM incidences in horned herds and testing whether compliance with guideline recommendations on the prevention of ID also contributes to mitigate BM. Twenty-one farms documented BM, cows' parity, social rank, and udder damage over seven months covering part of summer with pasture and winter in the barn. A total of 52 factors relating to the guideline were recorded and grouped into 'milking', 'feeding', 'lying', 'walking/activity' and 'herd management'. Each factor was categorised into fulfilled or not, and for each group percentages of fulfilment were calculated. Monthly BM incidences varied from 0.3 to 7.8% with 38% being associated with visible udder damage (BMvD). Most cows affected were in the 2nd to 4th lactation (44%) and middle-ranking (58%). A mixed model regarding 'monthly binomial BMvD' per farm revealed a higher BMvD risk during the barn season (OR = 2.39), highlighting the importance of pasture to alleviate social conflicts. Higher fulfilment of recommendations concerning 'feeding' and 'walking/activity' was associated with a lower risk (OR = 0.94 and 0.95), indicating that the conflict potential in these areas also plays a role for BMvD and can be lowered by a combination of improvement measures.

Organic Milk Production and Dairy Farming Constraints and Prospects under the Laws of the European Union

In recent years, there has been rapid development in organic farming. When choosing organic livestock products, consumers are guided by the conviction that animals are provided with the highest welfare standards and access to pasture. The purpose of this article was to trace the principles of organic farming prevailing in the EU with regard to milk production and cattle breeding. The principles of organic production are universal and their application is not limited to certified farms. Organic certification is intended to assure the consumer of the quality and method of production. Due to additional requirements imposed by law, organic cows are usually kept in better welfare conditions compared to conventional cattle, but this is not the rule. The altered taste and texture of organic milk and its products compared to conventional products mainly depends on the presence of pasture greens in the cows' diet. Therefore, milk from conventionally kept, pasture-grazed cows may have similar characteristics and composition. Organic farms tend to have lower milk yields compared to conventional farms due to the lower consumption of concentrate feed. In the future, it is expected that the proportion of land that is unsuitable for the production of crops for human consumption will increasingly be used for cow grazing.

Effects of small milking stalls on stress responses in dairy cows during milking in group milking parlors

Milking stall dimensions have not been adapted to the increase in cow body size caused by selection for better milking performance over the past decades. Improper milking stall dimensions might limit cow comfort, could lead to stress responses during milking and thus could negatively affect cow welfare. A crossover study was conducted in an experimental milking parlor that was converted from a herringbone (HB) to a side-by-side (SBS) parlor. The milking stall dimensions were modified in length and width and for HB also in depth (perpendicular distance between rump rail and breast rail). The stall dimensions applied during the experiments ranged from much smaller than common in European dairy farming to much larger. Treatments were applied for 2 wk per milking parlor type. In each milking parlor type, a total of 30 cows, kept in 2 groups were observed during milking for behavioral and physiological stress responses and for milking performance. In addition, milk cortisol levels and somatic cell counts were measured at the end of the 2-wk period. Outcome variables were selected based on a principal component analysis and analyzed using mixed effects models reflecting the experimental design. The results showed that the first cow per milking batch required more time (on average >40 s) to enter very small HB stalls than to enter small, large and very large stalls (<30 s). Also, cows yielded more milk per milking in very small and very large HB stalls than in the small and large milking stall dimensions [very small: 15.8 kg; 95% confidence interval (CI), 14.2-17.4 kg); small: 14.3 kg (95% CI, 12.8-15.9 kg); large: 14.6 kg (95% CI, 13.1-16.1 kg); very large: 16.1 kg (95% CI, 14.6-17.6 kg)]. The other behavioral, physiological and milk flow parameters as well as udder health were not affected by stall dimensions. For the SBS parlor, effects of milking stall dimensions were not detectable in any of the parameters. Despite the strong avoidance behavior to enter the milking parlor (measured as latency), no acute stress responses were found during milking. However, the study cannot exclude long-term effects of narrow stall dimensions on stress levels and possibly udder health, which should be investigated in future studies.

Smart Animal Agriculture: Application of Real-Time Sensors to Improve Animal Well-Being and Production

Consumption of animal products such as meat, milk, and eggs in first-world countries has leveled off, but it is rising precipitously in developing countries. Agriculture will have to increase its output to meet demand, opening the door to increased automation and technological innovation; intensified, sustainable farming; and precision livestock farming (PLF) applications. Early indicators of medical problems, which use sensors to alert cattle farmers early concerning individual animals that need special care, are proliferating. Wearable technologies dominate the market. In less-value-per-animal systems like sheep, goat, pig, poultry, and fish, one sensor, like a camera or robot per herd/flock/school, rather than one sensor per animal, will become common. PLF sensors generate huge amounts of data, and many actors benefit from PLF data. No standards currently exist for sharing sensor-generated data, limiting the use of commercial sensors. Technologies providing accurate data can enhance a well-managed farm. Development of methods to turn the data into actionable solutions is critical.

Influence of previous medical treatments on social rank in dairy cows

Animal health can present economic and animal welfare concerns for dairy farmers. However, it is unknown whether changes in behaviour as a result of sickness have long-term effects, and whether there is a relationship between the social rank of cows in the herd at a moment in time and the medical treatment history of these cows. The behaviour of 100 high-yielding cows in the waiting area (collecting yard) before the milking parlour was studied for five milking sessions to assess the interactions between the cows, as the cows waited to be milked. The cows were filmed, and the interactions between cows were recorded using an ethogram. The summated social rank score of each cow was compared with its medical treatment history. In our analysis, a positive relationship was found between medical treatment history and social rank, however this association was discounted when age was accounted for. When a subsample of cows older than 4.0 years was analysed to examine the relationship between social rank and medical treatment history in older cows, no significant correlation existed. These results suggest that the relationship between social rank and medical treatment history identified in the analysis is predominately an effect of age. This finding is contradictory to the hypothesis that ‘a higher historical level of medical treatments, and the disruption and setbacks associated with these disease conditions, would result in a lower position in the social rank.’ This preliminary study reports the findings from one particular herd, and across one relatively short time span, and because associations between treatment history and behaviour may be of interest in management decisions for producers, it is recommended that further investigation of this subject is carried out.

Welfare Effects of the Use of a Combination of Local Anesthesia and NSAID for Disbudding Analgesia in Dairy Calves-Reviewed Across Different Welfare Concerns

Across the international dairy industry, the vast majority of dairy herds have dehorned cows. Farmers choose to dehorn calves for different reasons such as easier handling of non-horned cattle and reduced risk of injuries in animals and staff. This review focuses on disbudding by use of hot-iron cautery as is practiced by dairy farmers in calves <3 months of age. We examine welfare effects of the use of NSAIDs in combination with a local anesthetic including indicators relevant for the three major welfare concerns-affective states, basic health, and functioning as well as the possibility to behave naturally. Across indicators of animal welfare, the majority of available evidence suggest that the use of NSAIDs in combination with a local anesthetic is advantageous in terms of animal welfare, and no studies suggest that NSAIDs are a disadvantage to animal welfare. However, irrespective of the welfare concern, use of NSAIDs combined with a local anesthetic does not fully eliminate the welfare challenges from disbudding. Further research is needed in order to fully understand the effects of this medication protocol on calf welfare, including knowledge about the duration of healing and the presence of long-term pain. At present, this lack of knowledge challenges the precise formulation of adequate pain management-in terms of medication protocol, duration, dosage, and type of administration.