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Van Os J, Reuscher K, Dado-Senn B, Laporta J. Effects of thermal stress on calf welfare. JDS COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 5:253-258. [PMID: 38646580 PMCID: PMC11026917 DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2023-0443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Cold and heat stress present welfare challenges for dairy calves. The consequences of thermal stress on biological functioning have been well documented, and many housing and management strategies have been evaluated to mitigate those detrimental impacts. In cold weather, mitigation strategies have largely focused on nutritional interventions or limiting heat loss with resources such as bedding or jackets. In hot weather, heat abatement strategies such as supplemental shade, increased environmental air exchange through passive ventilation, and forced air movement through mechanical ventilation have been evaluated. Recently in Wisconsin's continental climate, our group evaluated how 2 aspects of calf welfare-the needs for thermal comfort and social contact (i.e., pair or group housing vs. individual housing)-may align or conflict in winter and summer, respectively. In both seasons, calves pair-housed in outdoor hutches preferred social proximity. When 2 calves shared a hutch, the heat load was greater than for a single calf, which may be beneficial for thermal comfort in winter. In summer, the potential detriments from the additional heat load of 2 calves was mitigated with passive hutch ventilation, which calves preferred. Nonetheless, knowledge gaps remain regarding the impacts of thermal stress on calves' affective states, and much remains unknown about their preferences and motivations for specific thermal stress mitigation resources. Future research to address these gaps could improve our understanding of calf welfare and inform best practices for calf management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Van Os
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706
| | | | | | - Jimena Laporta
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI 53706
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Zeng J, Cai J, Wang D, Liu H, Sun H, Liu J. Heat stress affects dairy cow health status through blood oxygen availability. J Anim Sci Biotechnol 2023; 14:112. [PMID: 37658441 PMCID: PMC10474781 DOI: 10.1186/s40104-023-00915-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Rises in global warming and extreme weather occurrence make the risk of heat stress (HS) induced by high ambient temperatures more likely in high-yielding dairy cows, resulting in low milk quality and yield. In animals, oxygen is involved in many physiological and metabolic processes, but the effects of HS on oxygen metabolism remain unclear. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate how oxygen metabolism plays a role in health status of dairy cows by measuring the milk yield, milk composition, and blood biochemical variables of cows under different levels of HS: none (No-HS), mild (Mild-HS), and moderate HS (Mod-HS). RESULTS The HS significantly increased rectal temperature (Ptreat < 0.01) and respiration rate (Ptreat < 0.01). Under Mod-HS, greater Na+ (P < 0.05) and lower total CO2, and pH (P < 0.05) were observed relative to those under No-HS and Mild-HS. Oxygen concentrations in both coccygeal artery and mammary vein (Ptreat < 0.01) were lower under Mod-HS than under No-HS. Coccygeal vein concentrations of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) (P < 0.05) increased during Mod-HS compared with those in cows under No-HS. Malondialdehyde increased during Mod-HS, and glutathione peroxidase (P < 0.01) increased during Mild-HS. Coccygeal vein concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (P < 0.01), heme oxygenase-1 (P < 0.01), and hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (P < 0.01) were greater in cows under Mod-HS than those under No-HS. Red blood cell count (P < 0.01) and hemoglobin concentration (P < 0.01) were lower in the coccygeal vein of dairy cows under Mild- and Mod-HS than those of cows under No-HS. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to HS negatively impacts the health status and lactation performance of dairy cows by limiting oxygen metabolism and transportation. However, the specific mechanism by which HS affects mammary function in cows remains unclear and requires further exploration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia Zeng
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Cow Genetic Improvement and Milk Quality Research of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jie Cai
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Diming Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hongyun Liu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Huizeng Sun
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Cow Genetic Improvement and Milk Quality Research of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jianxin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Dairy Cow Genetic Improvement and Milk Quality Research of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Montes ME, Doucette J, Brito LF, Boerman JP. Environmental and biological factors that influence feeding behavior of Holstein calves in automated milk feeding systems. JDS COMMUNICATIONS 2023; 4:379-384. [PMID: 37727242 PMCID: PMC10505773 DOI: 10.3168/jdsc.2023-0374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
Automated milk feeders (AMF) used for dairy calves continuously provide individual feeding behavior measurements. The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the association between temperature-humidity index (THI), birth weight, and dam parity characteristics on feeding behavior (i.e., milk consumption and drinking speed). Historical data sets generated from a single commercial dairy farm, where healthy (not treated for bovine respiratory disease, enteric disease, or injury) Holstein calves were fed up to 24 L/d of milk, were used for the analysis. A total of 5,312 female Holstein calves born between August 2015 and August 2021 (mean birth weight ± standard deviation: 40.7 ± 4.7 kg) on a commercial dairy farm were fed up to 24 L/d of nonsaleable milk for the first 32 d. For the analyses, feeding behavior data from the AMF system were combined with demographic data from the farm management software, and weather records from the closest public weather station (7 km away). Linear mixed models used to analyze daily milk consumption and drinking speed included THI, birth weight, dam parity, and feeding day as fixed effects, and feeder and calf within feeder as random effects. These models explained 57% of the total variation in milk consumption and 48% of the variation in drinking speed. Calves born from primiparous cows had the lowest milk consumption and the greatest drinking speed in comparison to calves born from multiparous cows. Calves with heavier birth weights had higher milk consumption and faster drinking speed than lighter calves. Drinking speed was negatively associated with THI. Including data derived from individual calves and their environmental conditions in data sets exploring feeding behavior from AMF would control for variation and improve the predictive models for performance assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria E. Montes
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Jarrod Doucette
- Ag Data Services, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
| | - Luiz F. Brito
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907
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Harman A, Mahoney H, Thompson WA, Fuzzen MLM, Aggarwal B, Laframboise L, Boreham DR, Manzon RG, Somers CM, Wilson JY. Effect of elevated embryonic incubation temperature on the temperature preference of juvenile lake ( Coregonus clupeaformis) and round whitefish ( Prosopium cylindraceum). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad067. [PMID: 37663927 PMCID: PMC10469578 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Anthropogenic impacts can lead to increased temperatures in freshwater environments through thermal effluent and climate change. Thermal preference of aquatic organisms can be modulated by abiotic and biotic factors including environmental temperature. Whether increased temperature during embryogenesis can lead to long-term alterations in thermal preference has not been explicitly tested in native freshwater species. Lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round (Prosopium cylindraceum) whitefish were incubated at natural and elevated temperatures until hatching, following which, all groups were moved to common garden conditions (15°C) during the post-hatching stage. Temperature preference was determined at 8 months (Lake whitefish only) and 12 months of age (both species) using a shuttle box system. Round whitefish preferred a cooler temperature when incubated at 2 and 6°C compared with 0.5°C. Lake whitefish had similar temperature preferences regardless of age, weight and incubation temperature. These results reveal that temperature preference in freshwater fish can be programmed during early development, and that round whitefish may be more sensitive to incubation temperature. This study highlights the effects that small increases in temperature caused by anthropogenic impacts may have on cold-adapted freshwater fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Harman
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Hannah Mahoney
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - William Andrew Thompson
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Meghan L M Fuzzen
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Bhuvan Aggarwal
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Lisa Laframboise
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Douglas R Boreham
- Medical Sciences, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - Richard G Manzon
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Christopher M Somers
- Department of Biology, University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada
| | - Joanna Y Wilson
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
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Mahendran SA, Wathes DC, Booth RE, Baker N, Blackie N. Effects of Individual and Pair Housing of Calves on Short-Term Health and Behaviour on a UK Commercial Dairy Farm. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2140. [PMID: 37443938 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Social pair housing of calves has previously demonstrated positive impacts for calves, so this study aimed to compare the health and behaviour of calves kept in individual compared to pair housing on a single commercial UK dairy farm. A total of 457 Holstein and Jersey heifer calves were recruited and systematically allocated to individual and pair housing. Weekly visits were conducted up to 8 weeks of age, with weight and presence of clinical disease measured using both a standardized scoring system and thoracic ultrasonography. A subset of calves (n = 90) had accelerometers attached to monitor activity, with CCTV placed above a further 16 pens to allow behavioural assessments to be made via continuous focal sampling at 1 and 5 weeks of age. During the study, there was a mortality rate of 2.8%, and an average daily liveweight gain (ADLG) of 0.72 kg/day, with no significant effect of housing group (p = 0.76). However, individually housed calves had increased odds of developing disease (OR = 1.88, p = 0.014). Accelerometer data showed that housing group had no effect on lying times, with a mean of 18 h 11 min per day (SD 39 min) spent lying down. The motion index was significantly higher in pair-housed calves (F1,83 = 440.3, p < 0.01), potentially due to more social play behaviour. The total time engaged in non-nutritive oral behaviours (NNOBs) was not impacted by housing group (p = 0.72). Pair-housed calves split their time conducting NNOBs equally between inanimate objects and on their pen mates' body. Individually housed calves spent significantly more time with their head out of the front of the pen (p = 0.006), and also engaged in more self-grooming than pair-housed calves (p = 0.017), possibly due to a lack of socialization. The overall findings of this study indicate that within a UK commercial dairy management system, pair-housed calves were healthier and more active than individually housed calves, while housing group did not influence ADLG or the occurrence of NNOBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie A Mahendran
- Royal Veterinary College, Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - D Claire Wathes
- Royal Veterinary College, Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Richard E Booth
- Royal Veterinary College, Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Neil Baker
- Leaze Farm, Haselbury Plucknett, Crewkerne TA18 7RJ, UK
| | - Nicola Blackie
- Royal Veterinary College, Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
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Dado-Senn B, Ouellet V, Lantigua V, Van Os J, Laporta J. Methods for detecting heat stress in hutch-housed dairy calves in a continental climate. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:1039-1050. [PMID: 36543645 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Dairy calves exposed to solar radiation, elevated ambient temperature, and humidity are at risk of impaired welfare and productivity. Initial detection of thermal discomfort requires determination of optimal heat stress indicators and thresholds. Such values have recently been established in calves in chronic, subtropical, and acute continental environments but not in continuous, temperate conditions. Herein, the objectives were to determine associations between animal-based and environmental heat stress indicators and establish environmental breakpoints for hutch-raised dairy calves during a continental summer. From June to August, dairy calves (n = 63; 14 to 42 d of age) were individually hutch-housed and managed according to the dairy standard operating procedures in Arlington, Wisconsin. Calf respiration rates (RR), rectal temperatures (RT), shaved or unshaved skin temperatures (ST), and hutch internal and external air speed were measured thrice weekly at 0700 and 1400 h after a 15 min hutch restriction. Environmental indices including dry bulb temperature (Tdb), black globe temperature, and relative humidity were measured every 15 min, averaged hourly, and used to calculate temperature-humidity index (THI) using 8 different equations (THI1-8). Correlation and linear regression models were used to determine relationships within and between animal-based and environmental indicators. Environmental breakpoints were established using segmented regression models to estimate THI and Tdb thresholds for abrupt changes in animal responses. There were strong, positive correlations between animal-based indicators and Tdb or THI1-8, with the strongest association observed between unshaved ST and Tdb (r = 0.80). The linear regression of animal-based indicators with the best fit included Tdb or Tdb plus relative humidity and air speed. The threshold at which RR and RT began to rise was at a THI of 69 for both or at a Tdb of 21.0 or 21.5°C, respectively. No threshold was established for ST. Together, these outcomes indicate that Tdb is an appropriate measurement to detect thermal discomfort for calves in a temperate summer climate and individual hutch housing. Monitoring of calves is warranted before ambient temperature reaches 21.0°C, corresponding to RR of 40 breaths per minute and RT of 38.5°C, to promote calf comfort and reduce the risk of hyperthermia-related welfare and productivity consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Dado-Senn
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison 53706
| | - V Ouellet
- Department of Animal Sciences, Université Laval, Québec City, Québec, G1V 0A6 Canada
| | - V Lantigua
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611
| | - J Van Os
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison 53706
| | - J Laporta
- Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison 53706.
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