Dairy cattle welfare as a result of human-animal relationship – a review

Minimizing the Effects of Social Isolation of Horses by Contact with Animals of a Different Species: The Domestic Goat as an Example

This study aimed to perform a comparative analysis of the horses’ heart rate parameters and locomotor activity in a herd or isolation, with or without the company of goats. Twenty horses were tested in a paddock, accompanied (or not) by three goats. The experiment comprised four tests (a control test of a herd of horses without goats, a horse isolation test without goats, a test of a herd of horses with goats and a test of an isolated horse with goats). The horse’s locomotor behavior, and the HR, RR, rMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF were recorded. The data analysis included a 15-min rest, procedural and recovery HR/HRV periods, and a 5-min period at the beginning of the test. The duration of the horses standing in the company of goats increased significantly. The rMSSD parameter was the significantly lowest in the test of a herd of horses with goats. The company of goats in a paddock does not eliminate the emotional effects of the phenomenon. However, the locomotor behavior decreases. Goats in a paddock can provide a positive distraction for horses in a herd as a decrease in emotional excitability can be regarded as having a relaxing impact on a different animal species.

Estimation of Dairy Cow Survival in the First Three Lactations for Different Culling Reasons Using the Kaplan-Meier Method

The aims of the study were: (i) to compare survival curves for cows culled for different reasons over three successive lactations using the Kaplan-Meier estimator; (ii) to determine the effects of breeding documentation parameters on cow survival; (iii) to investigate the similarity between culling categories. The survival times for a subset of 347,939 Holstein-Friesian cows culled between 2017 and 2018 in Poland were expressed in months from calving to culling or the end of lactation. The survival tables were constructed for each culling category and lactation number. The survival curves were also compared. The main culling categories were reproductive disorders-40%, udder diseases-13 to 15%, and locomotor system diseases-above 10%. The survival curves for cows from individual culling categories had similar shapes. A low probability of survival curves for metabolic and digestive system diseases and respiratory diseases was observed in each of the three lactations. The contagious disease category was almost non-existent in the first lactation. The greatest influence on the relative culling risk was exerted by age at first calving, lactation length, calving interval, production subindex, breeding value for longevity, temperament, and average daily milk yield. A more accurate method of determining culling reasons would be required.

The adoption of good practices of handling improves dairy calves welfare: Case study

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the adoption of a set of good practices of handling on dairy calves welfare. Data were retrieved from the records of a commercial farm, considering three periods: Conventional handling (CH, 12 mo.), transitional period (TP, 4 mo.), and good practices handling (GPH, 12 mo.). During CH calves were kept in individual pens, milk-fed in open pails and subjected to abrupt weaning; while during TP and GPH they were kept in groups, milk-fed in nipple-pails, brushed for 5 min. once a day, and subjected to progressive weaning. TP was assumed as a training period necessary for GPH implementation. The percentages of calves treated with antibiotics and numbers of deaths per month were used as indicators of calves welfare. Statistical analysis was performed using a logistic regression model to compare the number of deaths per month between CH and the other periods. Chi-square test was used to compare the percentage of animals treated with antibiotics per month. Results showed that CH had a higher risk of calf's death then TP and GPH, as well as a higher percentage of animals treated with antibiotics. In conclusion, the adoption of good practices of handling improved dairy calves welfare.

The frontiers of biomedical science and its application to animal science in addressing the major challenges facing Australasian dairy farming

Extraordinary advances are occurring in biomedical science that may revolutionise how we approach health and disease. Many have applications in the dairy industry. We have described one particular area of extracellular vesicles that have already proven to be of interest in diagnostics and prognostics for fertility and assessment of ‘transition’ cows (i.e. evaluation of the problems related to the risk of clinical diseases in dairy cows, such as mastitis and milk fever, during transition period). The addition of measurements of circulating RNA and DNA may prove of value in identifying dairy cows with higher risks of clinical diseases and potentially poor fertility. We describe the exciting opportunity provided by the possibility of generating exosomes to order as therapeutic agents to potentially enhance fertility. The even more radical concept of using exosomes to deliver a CRISPR-linked gene editing function is presented. Undoubtedly, the use of biomedical advances to assist the dairy industry is an obvious and practical approach that has significant merit.

Novel ultrastructural findings in bovine oocytes matured in vitro

The ultrastructural morphology of the bovine oocyte at different maturation stages has been previously analyzed but without detailed structural observations at the mature stage. The objective of the present study was thus to establish the ultrastructural characteristics of the mature bovine oocyte in full detail. Oocytes from Bos taurus (Holstein-Friesian) cows were aspirated from ovaries collected after being slaughtered at a local abattoir. After in vitro culture for 24 h, some of them were processed for electron microscopy. We described the ultrastructure of the zona pellucida, which presented three different regions, and novel cytoplasmic findings. There were two types of electron-lucent vesicles (heterogeneous and striated), which were suggested to give rise to lipid droplets, and presence of receptor-mediated endocytosis. In conclusion, our results indicate that although the mature bovine oocyte is devoid of evident yolk, it might be filled with an extensive lipid factory. In addition, even before fertilization, the mature oocyte seemed to absorb nutrients through receptor-mediated endocytosis, indicating active energy use or storage.