Dairy Heifer Motivation for Access to a Shaded Area

Effects of tree arrangements of silvopasture system on behaviour and performance of cattle: a systematic review

This review aimed to provide a critical and systematic evaluation of the scientific literature about the effect of tree arrangements of the silvopasture system on the thermal environment, behaviour, and performance of cattle. We conducted a search using Web of Science and Google Scholar to identify the key literature of the theme. Peer-reviewed published articles written in English, comparing one or more tree arrangements of SPS to treeless pasture or comparing shaded and sunny areas within the SPS, were selected. The resulting manuscripts (n=191) underwent a four-step PRISMA appraisal process. This process resulted in a final sample of 37 articles, which were used for recording metadata, bibliometric analysis, and assessment of the results, using the software R. Of the 37 articles, 20 studies evaluated dairy cattle (behaviour: 14; performance: 7) and 17 evaluated beef cattle (behaviour: 6; performance: 12). The main behaviours evaluated were grazing (95%) and ruminating (90%), while weight gain (89%) was the main performance variable evaluated. The co-occurrence network analysis highlighted that the studies related the animals’ response to improving the thermal environment promoted by silvopasture systems. The main difference among tree arrangements evaluated by the studies was tree density, which ranged from 5 to 800 trees/ha; most studies covered SPS with row of trees (single row, n=16 and multiple rows, n=19). Most studies (n=32) were carried out in Brazil. The evidence of this review showed that regardless of tree arrangement, the silvopasture system improves the thermal environment for cattle, although some effects on behaviour and performance are inconclusive.

Responses of Outdoor Housed Dairy Cows to Shade Access during the Prepartum Period under Temperate Summer Conditions

Simple Summary

Late pregnant dairy cows housed outdoor can be exposed to hot weather conditions for several weeks prior to calving affecting their physiology and behavior. We aimed to determine whether access to an artificial shade for outdoor-housed dairy cows during the three weeks prior to calving had a positive effect on lying, rumination, feeding, and drinking behaviors. Also, the relationship between access to shade and health status was investigated. Shaded cows increased rumination time, but the daily lying time was similar to unshaded cows. Also, shaded cows spent half of the time drinking during the warmest hours of the day and spent more time feeding during the morning feed than unshaded cows. The prepartum and postpartum body fat mobilization and presentations of clinical diseases after calving were similar between both treatments. This study presents evidence that shade is an important resource for cows during temperate summers, observing effects mainly on behavioral variables.

Abstract

Cows are affected by environmental factors associated with warm weather conditions; however, little is known about the effect of shade access especially during the prepartum period of dairy cows in temperate regions. This study assessed the effect of shade on the behavior (lying, rumination, feeding, and drinking), body fat mobilization, and health status of outdoor-housed dairy cows during the prepartum period under temperate summer conditions. During the 3 weeks prior to calving, 24 multiparous Holstein cows were grouped (4 cows/group) and assigned to either an open corral without shade or with access to shade until calving. We daily measured shade use, lying, rumination, feeding, and drinking behavior. Weekly, prepartum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and postpartum b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations were measured. Clinical examination was periodically performed individually until 21 postpartum days. Shade use averaged 45.6, 46.0, and 19.8% during the hottest hours of the day (11–18 h) in weeks 3, 2, and 1 prior to calving, respectively. Shaded cows had higher values for rumination time and feeding time during the morning but spent less time drinking during the warmest hours than unshaded cows. NEFA and BHB concentrations and clinical diseases were similar between both treatments. These findings suggest that under temperate summer conditions the access to an artificial shade is an important resource, observing beneficial effects mainly on behavioral variables.