Relationship between quality of facilities, animal-based welfare indicators and measures of reproductive and productive performances on dairy farms in the northwest of Spain

Welfare assessment traits, milk quantity and quality, and profitability of Anatolian buffalo cows confined in closed-tied or semi-open free-stall barns can be affected by supplementary feeding at milking

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of offering (OSF) or not (NSF) supplemental feed at milking on temperament (TS), udder hygiene (UHS) and body condition (BCS) scores, and milk yield per milking (MYM), milk quality traits, and profitability of primiparous Anatolian buffalo cows at 90 days of lactation confined in closed-tied (CB) or semi-open free-stall (OB) barns.

METHODS

In Experiment I, 108 cows were selected to encompass four treatments (OBOSF, OB-NSF, CB-OSF, and CB-NSF) of 27 cows, considering barn type (OB and CB) and supplementary feed (OSF and NSF) at milking. In Experiment II, 60 OB cows were selected to encompass one of five groups of 12 cows each: i) no supplemental feed (CON), ii) commercial concentrate (CC), iii) CC + corn silage (CCS), iv) CCS + alfalfa hay (CSA), or v) CC + ryegrass silage (CRS) at milking.

RESULTS

The TS and UHS of the OB and OSF cows were lower (better) than those of the CB and NSF cows, respectively. The OSF increased milk protein, lactose, and solids-not-fat but decreased milk freezing point and electrical conductivity compared with the NSF. The MYM and milk fat of the OB-OSF cows were higher than those of the OB-NSF and CBNSF cows. The TS and UHS of the cows negatively correlated with MYM and some milk chemicals (fat, protein, and solids-not-fat), but BCS correlated positively. The TS and milk electrical conductivity of the CCS, CSA, and CRS cows were lower than those of the CON and CC cows, but BCS, MYM, and milk fat were higher. Partial budget analysis identified a higher net profit for supplemental feed-offered groups (OB-OSF, CCS, CSA, and CRS).

CONCLUSION

Offering roughage with concentrates at milking for indoor primiparous buffalo cows is more conducive to well-being, milk yield, milk quality, and economy.

Bacillus subtilis DSM29784 attenuates Clostridium perfringens-induced intestinal damage of broilers by modulating intestinal microbiota and the metabolome

Necrotic enteritis (NE), especially subclinical NE (SNE), without clinical symptoms, in chicks has become one of the most threatening problems to the poultry industry. Therefore, increasing attention has been focused on the research and application of effective probiotic strains as an alternative to antibiotics to prevent SNE in broilers. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of Bacillus subtilis DSM29784 (BS) on the prevention of subclinical necrotic enteritis (SNE) in broilers. A total of 480 1-day-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments, each with six replicates pens of twenty birds for 63 d. The negative (Ctr group) and positive (SNE group) groups were only fed a basal diet, while the two treatment groups received basal diets supplemented with BS (1 × 109 colony-forming units BS/kg) (BS group) and 10mg/kg enramycin (ER group), respectively. On days 15, birds except those in the Ctr group were challenged with 20-fold dose coccidiosis vaccine, and then with 1 ml of C. perfringens (2 × 108) at days 18 to 21 for SNE induction. BS, similar to ER, effectively attenuated CP-induced poor growth performance. Moreover, BS pretreatment increased villi height, claudin-1 expression, maltase activity, and immunoglobulin abundance, while decreasing lesional scores, as well as mucosal IFN-γ and TNF-α concentrations. In addition, BS pretreatment increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria and decreased that of pathogenic species; many lipid metabolites were enriched in the cecum of treated chickens. These results suggest that BS potentially provides active ingredients that may serve as an antibiotic substitute, effectively preventing SNE-induced growth decline by enhancing intestinal health in broilers.

Housing assessment in farms in the Northwest of Spain: main facility weaknesses and strengths

The aim of this research communication was to examine and report the current situation of dairy farms in the province of Lugo (Galicia, Spain) regarding facility problems. We assessed the facilities of 168 free-stall dairy farms, housing in total 9228 Holstein cows in milk. Housing factors related to the resting area, circulation area, feeding area, ventilation area and milking area, as well as animal-handling features, were evaluated. Distance measurements were performed using a laser metre or a roll metric tape. A survey was conducted to gather information about cleaning and preventive protocols. Our results showed that most farms do not comply with the objective for cubicle measurements, width of the crossovers, type of flooring and presence of a quarantine pen, which may have a negative impact on the health and productivity of the animals. Therefore, to maximise the profits of the farm, the recommendations given in this study may be useful as a guide when building a new farm or remodelling the existing ones.

Moving towards sustainable breeding objectives and cow welfare in dairy production: a South African perspective

Genetic advancements have resulted in improved dairy production over many decades, due to the focus of breeding objectives on production as the driving force for genetic progress and overall farm profitability. Major advancements were made in the easy-to-measure traits with moderate to high heritability, which resulted in unintended consequences on herd fertility, health, and welfare of cows. In addition, climate change and animal welfare concerns demanded balanced breeding objectives and selection approaches for sustainable production-including health and longevity. The inclusion of genomic information into genetic evaluations has been proved to benefit traits associated with welfare and sustainable production. Cow welfare traits remain complex and suitable phenotypes are not always easy to measure or readily available for genetic evaluations. The challenge for improvement of cow welfare often lies within implementation of sensitive and measurable parameters. The aim of this review was to explore the reconsideration of breeding objectives in the dairy industry towards sustainable dairy production and cow welfare with reference to selection of dairy animals in South Africa.

Cattle Cleanliness from the View of Swedish Farmers and Official Animal Welfare Inspectors

Dirty cattle have been commonly recorded in official animal welfare inspections in Sweden for years. The relevant authorities have initiated work to better understand the causes of dirty cattle, in order to improve compliance and standardize the grounds for categorizing a farm as non-compliant with welfare legislation when dirty animals are present. This study investigated the occurrence of dirty cattle in official animal welfare controls, on Swedish cattle farms, and examined farmers' views on the reasons for non-compliance and on key factors in keeping animals clean. The data used were collected by animal welfare inspectors at the county level during the regular official inspections of 371 dairy and beef cattle farms over two weeks in winter 2020. In addition to completing the usual inspection protocol, the inspectors asked farmers a set of questions relating to why their animals were clean or dirty. Dirty cattle were found on 49% of the farms inspected, but only 33% of the farms were categorized as being non-compliant with Swedish welfare legislation. According to inspectors and farmers, dirtiness in cattle depends mainly on management routines, which is a promising result since routines can be improved. The results also revealed a need for better guidance for inspectors and farmers on when dirtiness should be categorized as non-compliance with animal welfare legislation.

Incidence of Characteristic Findings during Veterinary Carcass Inspections 2010-2019 in the Czech Republic and the Relation to the Level of Health and Welfare of Individual Classes of Cattle

Pathological findings in individual classes of cattle were assessed from the viewpoint of their localization and category. The objective of the study was to evaluate whether there are differences in the range and number of findings made between the individual classes of cattle. The results of veterinary inspections on 2,514,666 head of cattle slaughtered in the Czech Republic in the period 2010-2019 were used for the assessment. In terms of localization, the most frequent findings in cows were in the liver and pancreas (46.13%), the urinary tract (40.76%) and the lungs (36.23%). These findings also predominated in heifers and bulls, though they were recorded at lower frequencies (p < 0.01) than in cows. The most frequent pathological changes in heifers and bulls were chronic findings in the lungs (16.09% and 12.27%, respectively). The range of findings in calves differed significantly from other classes of cattle, primarily as the result of respiratory and diarrheal syndrome being the most frequent diseases in calves. Calves were the class of cattle most frequently diagnosed with findings in the lungs (44.89%), as well as other unclassified changes (24.43%) and overall changes (21.55%), which point to a systemic disorder of the organism. The results of this study confirmed the differing states of health in the individual classes of cattle and the differing health issues to which treatment and the prevention of the most frequently occurring infectious and non-infectious diseases must be adapted. Cattle welfare is affected not only by the level of health but also by the herd management and economics. This is confirmed by the range of findings, and the deterioration of living conditions especially in cows, likely because of great intensity of farming, but also in calves which suffered from emaciation or stunted growth.

Effects of different stocking densities on tracheal barrier function and its metabolic changes in finishing broilers

In the present study, we evaluated the effects of various stocking densities on the tracheal barrier and plasma metabolic profiles of finishing broilers. We randomly assigned 1,440 Lingnan Yellow feathered broilers (age 22 d) to 5 different stocking density groups (8 m-2, 10 m-2, 12 m-2, 14 m-2, and 16 m-2). Each of these consisted of 3 replicates. The interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-10 concentrations were substantially higher in the 16 m-2 treatment group than they were in the 8 m-2 and 10 m-2 treatment groups (P < 0.05). Nevertheless, IL-4 did not significantly differ among the 5 treatments (P > 0.05). The tracheal mucosae of the birds in the 16 m-2 group (high stocking density, HSD) were considerably thicker than those for the birds in the 10 m-2 group (control, CSD). Relative to CSD, the claudin1 expression level was lower, and the muc2 and caspase3 expression levels were higher for HSD. Compared with CSD, 10 metabolites were significantly upregulated (P < 0.05), and 7 were significantly downregulated (P < 0.05) in HSD. Most of these putative diagnostic biomarkers were implicated in matter biosynthesis and energy metabolism. A metabolic pathway analysis revealed that the most relevant and critical biomarkers were pentose and glucuronate interconversions and the pentose phosphate pathway. Activation of the aforementioned pathways may partially counteract the adverse effects of the stress induced by high stocking density. This work helped improve our understanding of the harmful effects of high stocking density on the tracheal barrier and identified 2 metabolic pathways that might be associated with high stocking density-induced metabolic disorders in broilers.