Hock Lesions in Dairy Cows in Cubicle Housing Systems in Germany: Prevalence and Risk Factors

Hock lesions in dairy cows are an important indicator of animal welfare, in particular housing conditions. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of hock lesions in dairy cows kept in cubicle housing systems in three structurally different regions of Germany and to derive recommendations from risk factor analyses. Lactating and dry cows kept in cubicle housing systems were assessed for hock lesions (north: 206 farms with 20,792 cows; south: 156 farms with 8050 cows; east: 192 farms with 37,839 cows). Risk factor analyses were conducted using multi-factorial logistic regression models. The median prevalence of hock lesions (hairless patches, wounds, and/or swelling) at farm level was 79.8% (SD: 25.0; north), 66.2% (SD: 31.0; south), and 78.5% (SD: 26.3; east). The mean prevalence of severe hock lesions (wounds and/or swelling) at farm level was 12.5% (SD: 11.3; north), 8.0% (SD: 13.5; south), and 14.4% (SD: 17.9; east). Cows kept in pens with rubber mats or mattresses (with or without a small amount of litter) had a particularly higher chance of hock lesions compared with cows kept in pens with deep-bedded cubicles (OR: north: 3.1 [2.3-4.2]; south: 8.7 [5.9-13.0], east: 2.0 [1.7-2.4]). The study showed that hock lesions are a widespread problem on German dairy farms with cubicle housing systems. Deep-bedded cubicles are likely to reduce hock lesions and increase cows' comfort.

Sole haemorrhages and heel horn erosion in dairy cows: the influence of housing system on their prevalence and severity

Altogether 94% of the primiparous and 66% of the multiparous cows had haemorrhages of the sole at trimming 2-4 months after calving. Within cows, and independent of age and stall system, the lateral hind claws had higher scores of haemorrhages than the other claws. The primiparous cows had higher scores than the multiparous cows both in the tie-stalls and in the cubicles. The palmar/plantar region of the claw capsule was divided into zones ("white line zones" and "sole zones"). For the multiparous cows the haemorrhage scores of the "white line zones" were higher among the cows housed in the cubicles than among those housed in the tie stalls. There was no difference between stall systems for haemorrhages of the "sole zones". Heel horn erosion was absent or rare in the fore hooves of both the primiparous and multiparous cows in the tie-stalls. The cows in the cubicles had higher heel horn erosion scores in their fore hooves than the cows in the tie-stalls. The scores of the hind hooves were generally higher than those of the fore hooves in both systems. Heel horn erosions were reduced in association with the introduction of a footbath. A higher incidence of lameness was observed in the cubicle system.