scholarly journals Welfare Assessment of Dairy Cows in Small Farms in Bangladesh

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 394
Author(s):  
M. Ariful Islam ◽  
Arvind Sharma ◽  
S. Ahsan ◽  
S. Mazumdar ◽  
K.C Rudra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Farms ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol

Protocols for assessing the welfare of dairy cows in large scale intensive dairy systems in the developed world have been used extensively. Little attention has been paid to the use of similar welfare assessment protocols for small dairy enterprises in developing countries. We modified part of the standard assessment protocol and used it to assess aspects of the welfare of dairy cows in a field survey of 70 small farms in the Sirajgonj district of Bangladesh. Welfare indicators selected were mainly those of health and economic importance, such as lameness, lesions on the body and limbs, cleanliness levels, milk yield, and body condition. The study included physical examination of 700 cows and use of a structured questionnaire to collect data on health and management practices and farmers’ perspectives about animal welfare. Mean milk yield, averaged across farms, was 10.3 L/d (range 6.3–14.2) and body condition assessment indicated that cows were, on average, thin. Hygiene management was often poor, with soiling of body parts with faeces. The prevalence of lameness, at 4.3%, was less than has commonly been observed in larger, more intensive dairy farms, but body injuries were commonly detected at the carpal and hock joints (56 and 51% of cows, respectively). This suggests that floors and/or bedding to lie on were inadequate. Many farmers did not follow routine vaccination and deworming schedules (63% and 31%, respectively) and farmers were not generally aware of the concept of animal welfare. The study demonstrates some similar welfare issues to those that have been commonly identified in large, intensive units, but also some differences, in particular a failure to provide good floors, bedding, and basic health care.

scholarly journals A New, Practical Animal Welfare Assessment for Dairy Farmers

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 881
Author(s):  
Frank J. C. M. van Eerdenburg ◽  
Alice M. Di Giacinto ◽  
Jan Hulsen ◽  
Bert Snel ◽  
J. Arjan Stegeman
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Dairy Farms ◽  
Dairy Farmers ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Category Score ◽  
Poor Welfare

The Welfare Quality® assessment protocol (WQ) is the most extensive way to measure animal welfare. This study was set up to determine if resource-based welfare indicators, that are easier and faster to measure, could replace the more time consuming, animal-based measurements of the WQ. The WQ was applied on 60 dairy farms in the Netherlands, with good, moderate and poor welfare. The WQ protocol classified most farms (87%) as ‘acceptable’. Several of the animal-based measures of WQ correlated well with measures in the environment. Using these correlations, an alternative welfare assessment protocol (new Welfare Monitor) was designed, which takes approximately 1.5 h for a farm with 100 dairy cows. Because the opinion of farmers about welfare assessment is important if one wants to improve conditions for the cows at a farm, another objective of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the new Welfare Monitor for the farmer. Over two years, the farms were visited, and advice was given to improve the conditions at the farm. After the first welfare assessment and advice, farmers improved the conditions for their cows substantially. Farms where the category score had increased made more improvements on average than those that did not upgrade.

scholarly journals Design of Free Stalls for Dairy Herds: A Review

Ruminants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Frank van Eerdenburg ◽  
Lars Ruud
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Design ◽  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
High Impact ◽  
The Body ◽  
Dairy Herds ◽  
Productive Life ◽  
To Come ◽  
Available Information

Lying is an important behavior of dairy cattle. Cows should spend more than 50% of a day lying as it has a high impact on their milk yield and animal welfare. The design, size, and flooring properties of the free stalls influence the time cows spend lying, the way they lie down, and their rising movements. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the currently available information with the aim to assist farmers and advisors to come to an optimal design of the free stalls. The design of the free stalls should enable the cows to move and lie in positions as natural as possible. Cows should rest, with all parts of the body, on a clean, dry and soft bed, be able to stretch their front legs forward, lie on their sides with unobstructed space for their neck and head, and rest with their heads against their flanks without hindrance from a partition. When they stand, they should not be hindered by neck rails, partitions, or supports. A comfortable place for cows to lie down helps cows to stay healthy, improve welfare, and increase milk yield. Hence, the probability of a longer productive life for the cows increases and the number of replacements per year decreases.

scholarly journals Relation of Automated Body Condition Scoring System and Inline Biomarkers (Milk Yield, β-Hydroxybutyrate, Lactate Dehydrogenase and Progesterone in Milk) with Cow’s Pregnancy Success

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1414
Author(s):  
Ramūnas Antanaitis ◽  
Vida Juozaitienė ◽  
Dovilė Malašauskienė ◽  
Mindaugas Televičius ◽  
Mingaudas Urbutis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lactate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
The Body ◽  
Time Analyzer ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Pregnancy Status ◽  
Body Condition Scoring

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the relation of automatically determined body condition score (BCS) and inline biomarkers such as β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), milk yield (MY), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and progesterone (mP4) with the pregnancy success of cows. The cows (n = 281) had 2.1 ± 0.1. lactations on average, were 151.6 ± 0.06 days postpartum, and were once tested with “Easy scan” ultrasound (IMV imaging, Scotland) at 30–35 d post-insemination. According to their reproductive status, cows were grouped into two groups: non-pregnant (n = 194 or 69.0% of cows) and pregnant (n = 87 or 31.0% of cows). Data concerning their BCS, mP4, MY, BHB, and LDH were collected each day from the day of insemination for 7 days. The BCS was collected with body condition score camera (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden); mP4, MY, BHB, and LDH were collected with the fully automated real-time analyzer Herd Navigator™ (Lattec I/S, Hillerød, Denmark) in combination with a DeLaval milking robot (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden). Of all the biomarkers, three differences between groups were significant. The body condition score (BCS) of the pregnant cows was higher (+0.49 score), the milk yield (MY) was lower (−4.36 kg), and milk progesterone in pregnant cows was (+6.11 ng/mL) higher compared to the group of non-pregnant cows (p < 0.001). The pregnancy status of the cows was associated with their BCS assessment (p < 0.001). We estimated that cows with BCS > 3.2 were 22 times more likely to have reproductive success than cows with BCS ≤ 3.2.

scholarly journals Genetic Relationships among Body Condition Score, Body Weight, Milk Yield, and Fertility in Dairy Cows

2003 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 2193-2204 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.P. Berry ◽  
F. Buckley ◽  
P. Dillon ◽  
R.D. Evans ◽  
M. Rath ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Genetic Relationships ◽  
Condition Score

scholarly journals Effect of heat stress on milk production and its composition of Holstein Friesian crossbred dairy cows

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 190-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmud Al Reyad ◽  
Md Abid Hasan Sarker ◽  
Md Elias Uddin ◽  
Raihan Habib ◽  
Md Harun Ur Rashid
Keyword(s):  
Heat Stress ◽  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Milk Composition ◽  
Mustard Oil ◽  
Holstein Friesian ◽  
Significant Difference

The aim of this research was to observe the effect of heat stress on milk yield and milk compositions of Holstein Friesian crossbred (HF) dairy cows. To fulfill the objectives, a total of 9 Holstein Friesian crossbred cows were selected for this study. Green grasses (German, Para) were supplied adlibitum and concentrate feeds (mixture of wheat bran, rice polish, mustard oil cake, di-calcium phosphate and salt) were supplied at the rate of 2.0 kg/day/cow. Management practices for all the cows were similar following the BAU Dairy farm practices. Data were collected on milk yield (l/h/d), relative humidity (%) and barn temperature (0C). The obtained temperature humidity index (THI) of July, August, September and October were 84.95, 81.99, 81.40 and 79.57, respectively. The highest THI was found in July which indicated higher heat stress during this month. A significant difference (p<0.05) in milk yield of cows was found among different months of July to October. The highest milk yield (6.10±0.50 l/h/d) was found in October among observed months. The compositions of milk such as total solids (TS), solids-not-fat (SNF), fat, protein, lactose, and ash also differed significantly (p<0.01). The highest values (%) of TS, SNF, fat, protein, lactose and ash content of milk were found in October as 12.63, 8.80, 3.83, 3.69, 4.39 and 0.72, respectively and lowest values (%) were in July as 12.20, 8.50, 3.71, 3.50, 4.30 and 0.69, respectively due to the high THI value. From these results, it is concluded that heat stress has strong effect on milk yield and milk composition of HF cows in Bangladesh. Management strategies are needed to minimize heat stress and attain optimal dairy animal performance.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2016, 2(2): 190-195

scholarly journals The effect of the Ketostop-EL feed supplement on the clinical and metabolic status of lactating cows

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 06033
Author(s):  
N.B. Nikulina ◽  
E.V. Baidak
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Total Protein ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
The Body ◽  
Metabolic Status ◽  
Total Calcium ◽  
Feed Supplement ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Daily Milk

A study was conducted on dairy cows aged 3-6 lactation, which were additionally fed with the Ketostop-El supplement at the rate of 300 g per head for 4 weeks after calving. The use of the feed supplement for 14 days led to a decrease in the number of monocytes, total protein, glucose, creatinine, total calcium and the activity of ALT and AST compared to their level before the use of Ketostop-El. Changes in the physical and chemical properties of urine and increase in the average daily milk yield were noted. The use of the supplement for 28 days contributed to a decrease in hematocrit, the sorption capacity of red blood cells, total protein, glucose, bilirubin, creatinine, total calcium, reserve alkalinity, ALT and AST activity and an increase in the number of basophils, eosinophils, and the concentration of inorganic phosphorus compared to the initial data. At the same time, a decrease in the level of protein and ketones in the urine was observed. An increase in the average daily milk yield and the mass fraction of fat in milk was also recorded. The feed supplement "Ketostop-El" has a positive effect on the body of dairy cows, as evidenced by the normalization of the clinical and metabolic status, as well as an increase in the dairy productivity of animals.

Dairy cow welfare: the role of research and development in addressing increasing scrutiny

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 924 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. D. Fisher ◽  
J. R. Webster
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Stocking Density ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Dairy Management ◽  
Animal Management ◽  
Cow Welfare

Pasture-based dairying in New Zealand and Australia has come under increasing animal welfare scrutiny as a result of changing public expectations for farm animal management. Concurrently, efficiency-driven changes in dairy management practices and a broadening of the feedbase beyond traditionally grazed pasture have resulted in increased intensification and stocking density within the dairy industries. This intensification has included a higher proportion of grain concentrates in the diet (particularly in Australia), and the greater management of cows off pasture and even in housing (particularly in New Zealand). Research to assess the animal welfare implications of these changes and to recommend good practice management has concentrated on issues of cow environments and cow feeding, including body condition. Research has shown that cows may be managed for a few hours per day on concrete surfaces without compromising their lying behaviour and other indicators of welfare, but that longer periods off pasture require the provision of a well drained and comfortable lying surface. Other research has defined the extremes of hot and cold/wet conditions beyond which cows benefit from provision of adequate shade and shelter. Research on cow body condition has indicated that welfare responses are aligned with measures of health and productivity in supporting the need to maintain a minimum body condition before calving and during the subsequent weight loss period of early lactation. Continued research, extension and industry adoption will enable dairy producers to address community expectations as they continue to change their farming practices.

scholarly journals Living the ‘Best Life’ or ‘One Size Fits All’—Stakeholder Perceptions of Racehorse Welfare

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Butler ◽  
Mathilde Valenchon ◽  
Rachel Annan ◽  
Helen Whay ◽  
Siobhan Mullan
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Human Relationship ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Factors Influencing ◽  
Main Challenge ◽  
Animal Welfare Science ◽  
The Uk

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions held by British racing industry stakeholders of factors influencing racehorse welfare. Ten focus groups were held across the UK with a total of 42 stakeholders from a range of roles within racehorse care including trainers, stable staff and veterinarians. Participants took part in three exercises. Firstly, to describe the scenarios of a ‘best life’ and the minimum welfare standards a horse in training could be living under. Secondly, to identify the main challenges for racehorse welfare and thirdly, to recall any innovative or uncommon practices to improve welfare they had witnessed. Using thematic analysis, eight themes emerged from the first exercise. Two strands, factors that contribute to maintaining health and the horse-human relationship ran through all eight themes. Across all themes horses living the ‘best life’ were perceived as being treated as individuals rather than being part of a ‘one size fits all’ life when kept under minimum welfare standards. Health was both perceived as the main challenge to welfare as well as one open to innovative practices such as improved veterinary treatments. Data obtained, informed by the knowledge and expertise of experienced stakeholders, combined with practical animal welfare science will be used to develop the first British racehorse welfare assessment protocol.

scholarly journals Test−Retest Reliability of the ‘Welfare Quality® Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Sows and Piglets’. Part 1. Assessment of the Welfare Principle of ‘Appropriate Behavior’

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Friedrich ◽  
Krieter ◽  
Kemper ◽  
Czycholl
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Welfare Assessment ◽  
Appropriate Behavior ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
Smallest Detectable Change ◽  
Welfare Quality ◽  
Animal Welfare Assessment ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

The present study’s aim was to assess the test−retest reliability (TRR) of the ‘Welfare Quality® animal welfare assessment protocol for sows and piglets’ focusing on the welfare principle ‘appropriate behavior’. TRR was calculated using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (RS), intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), smallest detectable change (SDC), and limits of agreement (LoA). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for deeper analysis of the Qualitative Behavior Assessment (QBA). The study was conducted on thirteen farms in Northern Germany, which were visited five times by the same observer. Farm visits 1 (F1; day 0) were compared to farm visits 2 to 5 (F2–F5). The QBA indicated no TRR when applying the statistical parameters introduced above (e.g., ‘playful‘ (F1–F4) RS 0.08 ICC 0.00 SDC 0.50 LoA [−0.62, 0.38]). The PCA detected contradictory TRR. Acceptable TRR could be found for parts of the instantaneous scan sampling (e.g., negative social behavior (F1–F3) RS 0.45 ICC 0.37 SDC 0.02 LoA [−0.03, 0.02]). The human−animal relationship test solely achieved poor TRR, whereas scans for stereotypies showed sufficient TRR (e.g., floor licking (F1–F4) RS 0.63 ICC 0.52 SDC 0.05 LoA [−0.08, 0.04]). Concluding, the principle ‘appropriate behavior’ does not represent TRR and further investigation is needed before implementation on-farm.

scholarly journals Relationships among body condition score, milk yield and reproduction in Czech Fleckvieh cows

2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 9) ◽  
pp. 357-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Jílek ◽  
P. Pytloun ◽  
M. Kubešová ◽  
M. Štípková ◽  
J. Bouška ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
The Body ◽  
Yield Level ◽  
Subsequent Decrease ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Statistical Program ◽  
Cattle Reproduction

The objective of this study was to confirm the relationship among body condition score at the time around parturition, milk yield in subsequent lactation, reproductive efficiency and BCS development in Czech Fleckvieh dairy cows. The BCS and milk yield were measured once a month and the cows were divided into groups according to their BCS before and after calving. Next, data from the database of cattle reproduction of the Czech Fleckvieh herd book were used. The dataset was analyzed by multifactorial analysis of variance using procedures COOR and GLM of the statistical program SAS. Cows with lower BCS in the 1<sup>st</sup> month after calving showed an increase in both milk yield and fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) yield. No significant relationship was found between the BCS level before calving and subsequent milk yield. The body condition level in the last month before parturition influenced its subsequent decrease in the first phase of lactation. The group of cows with the highest BCS level before calving retained a high BCS level in the first five months of lactation. Adequately, the group of cows with the lowest BCS in the first month of lactation had the lowest BCS in the next four months. BCS before calving was not related to reproduction indicators, but the significant effect of BCS in the 1<sup>st</sup> month after calving on the length of calving to the first service interval was confirmed. The group of cows with BCS > 3.5 in the 1<sup>st</sup> month after calving had the most favourable reproduction indicators, also when the milk yield level was taken into account.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document