RESUMO
A positive relationship between handlers and animals in farm systems is essential because the human-animal relationship has implications for welfare and productivity. For this reason, on-farm animal welfare assessment protocols often include the behavioral response of animals to humans to measure the quality of the human-animal relationship. The existing literature has described this relationship as being multifactorial in nature. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the potential influence of farm management and infrastructure characteristics, calf manager traits, and intrinsic features of dairy calves on the human-animal relationship. To this end, an escape test was conducted with 698 calves on 30 dairy farms in Chile. This test measured the calf's response to the active approach of an unfamiliar human (and was scored from 0 [fearful] to 4 [friendly]). The explanatory variables used to predict calves' response in the escape test were grouped according to the following categories: (1) farm management and infrastructure (e.g., calf-dam separation age, space allowance); (2) calf manager (e.g., attitudes, behavior, and background); and (3) calf (e.g., breed, sex, age). We concluded that calf managers with additional jobs on the farm, no training, low job satisfaction, a greater proportion of negative contacts, and more negative attitudes were predictive of fearfulness in the escape test. Holstein breed (compared with Holstein and Jersey crossbreeds) was associated with greater odds of fearful calves. Our study confirms the association between animals' fear and handlers' features, which can potentially be used to select employees on a farm. Understanding the factors that influence fear responses in calves may highlight ways to improve the relationship between animals and humans.
Assuntos
Bem-Estar do Animal , Bovinos/psicologia , Indústria de Laticínios , Fazendeiros/psicologia , Animais , Atitude , Comportamento , Comportamento Animal , Cruzamento , Chile , Indústria de Laticínios/métodos , Feminino , Humanos , MasculinoRESUMO
Lameness is a serious welfare issue for dairy cows. To date, the majority of studies have focused on its effect on health and behavior at the herd level. The objectives of this study were to identify (1) between-cow and (2) within-cow changes in lying behavior associated with consistent and changing lameness status in grazing dairy cows. Previous studies of lying behavior in grazing dairy cows have not considered the effect of precipitation, so a third aim was to determine the effect of precipitation on lying behavior. A total of 252 dairy cows from 6 pasture-based farms in southern Brazil were gait scored weekly to assess lameness using a 5-point scale [1-5, numerical rating score (NRS)] for 4 consecutive weeks. Cows were considered to have consistent lameness if they were scored as lame (NRS ≥3) on each of the 4 visits and considered to have a changing lameness status if scored as being nonlame (NRS <3) on at least 1 of the 4 visits. Cows classified as having a changing lameness status were further classified as developed, recovered, or inconsistent. Lying behavior (daily lying time, mean lying bout duration, and daily number of lying bouts) was recorded continuously for 3 wk using leg-mounted accelerometers. Cow-level variables included parity, days in milk, and body condition score. Regional precipitation and temperature were recorded hourly. Because only 1 primiparous cow was identified as lame at each of the 4 visits, the between-cow analysis of lameness was run on multiparous cows only. The overall prevalence of clinical lameness on the first visit was 39%, with development and recovery rates of 16 and 10% over the 4 visits, respectively. The between-cow effect of consistent lameness status on daily lying time and number of lying bouts was dependent on precipitation; consistently lame cows had reduced lying time and lying bouts on days with rain compared with days without rain. There was no within-cow effect of changing lameness status on any of the lying behaviors. Precipitation was associated with decreased daily lying time, increased mean lying bout duration, and decreased daily number of lying bouts. The results of this research provide the first evidence that the effect of consistent lameness status on lying behavior is associated with rainfall in grazing dairy cows. Future work measuring lying behavior of grazing dairy cows should include precipitation as a covariate.
Assuntos
Doenças dos Bovinos/fisiopatologia , Coxeadura Animal/fisiopatologia , Animais , Comportamento Animal , Brasil , Bovinos , Doenças dos Bovinos/metabolismo , Comportamento Alimentar , Feminino , Marcha , Coxeadura Animal/metabolismo , Leite/metabolismo , Paridade , GravidezRESUMO
The objectives of this study were to describe the lying behavior of primiparous dairy cows under pasture-based systems during the pre- and postcalving period and characterize the association of lying behavior and analytes related to energy metabolism during this period with claw horn disruption lesion development later in lactation. Our convenience sample included 39 primiparous Holstein cows from 3 commercial farms that were assessed for body condition score (BCS; 5-point scale, 0.25-point increments) and had blood collected at wk -3, -2, -1, 1, 2, and 3 relative to calving date. Blood samples were assayed for nonesterified fatty acids, ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), and cholesterol concentrations. Electronic data loggers (HOBO Pendant G Acceleration, Onset Computer Corporation, Bourne, MA) recorded lying behavior at 1-min intervals from 3 wk before calving to 3 wk after calving. Starting at 4 wk after calving and until 16 wk after calving, cows were examined for claw lesions at approximately 4-wk intervals. Sole lesions and white line lesions were scored on a 0 to 10 scale. Of the 39 primiparous cows, 19 cows scored 0 at all exams during the entire study period and 20 cows had at least 1 severe lesion (score ≥4) between 8 and 16 wk after calving. Time spent lying before calving averaged 10.3 ± 0.3 h/d, but declined to 7.3 ± 0.3 h/d after calving (least squares means ± standard error). At calving, we noted an increase in the number of lying bouts (12.9 ± 0.45 bouts/d) compared with the pre- and postcalving averages of 11.6 (±0.53) and 9.1 (±0.47) bouts, respectively. Cows that developed claw lesions later in mid lactation spent less time lying down than cows without lesions during wk 3 after calving compared with healthy cows (7.29 ± 0.22 vs. 8.51 ± 0.16 h/d). Lesion cows had fewer lying bouts per day, and these bouts were of longer duration than no-lesion cows after calving. Increased odds of lesion were found to be associated with shorter lying times and fewer number of lying bouts during wk 3 (odds ratio = 1.23). Nonesterified fatty acids (747 ± 58 vs. 990 ± 86.85 µmol/L) and BHB (0.77 ± 0.06 vs. 0.60 ± 0.04 mmol/L) concentrations during wk 1 were greater in cows that developed claw lesions relative to cows that did not develop lesions. The BHB concentrations also remained higher in wk 2 for cows that developed claw lesions (0.63 ± 0.04 vs. 0.46 ± 0.03 mmol/L) compared with cows that did not develop any lesions. Cows that developed lesions experienced greater losses in BCS from wk -3 to 3 than cows without lesions (0.74 ± 0.01 and 0.61 ± 0.01 BCS change, respectively). In summary, changes in lying behavior and energy metabolic status after calving were associated with claw horn disruption lesions in mid-lactation primiparous cows under pasture-based systems.
Assuntos
Doenças dos Bovinos/fisiopatologia , Doenças do Pé/veterinária , Casco e Garras/patologia , Lactação/fisiologia , Ácido 3-Hidroxibutírico , Animais , Bovinos , Doenças dos Bovinos/metabolismo , Metabolismo Energético , Feminino , Doenças do Pé/metabolismo , Doenças do Pé/fisiopatologia , Abrigo para Animais , Coxeadura Animal/metabolismo , Coxeadura Animal/fisiopatologia , Paridade , GravidezRESUMO
Freestall housing for dairy cows was created to reduce the amount of bedding and labor needed to keep stalls clean. However, some aspects of stall design may restrict stall usage by cows. The aim of this study was to assess dairy cow preference and usage of a conventional stall (with a neck rail and metal stall dividers) and an alternative stall design with no neck rail or stall dividers other than a wooden board protruding slightly (8cm) above the lying surface. In the no-choice phase of the study, 48 cows were randomly assigned to 8 groups (of 6 cows each); groups were alternately allocated to the 2 treatments. Each group was observed for 7 d on one treatment and then switched to the alternate treatment for 7 d. For the choice phase (also 7 d), groups in adjacent pens were merged (to form 4 groups, each with 12 cows) and cows had free access to both treatments within the merged pen. In the no-choice phase, cows spent more time standing with 4 hooves in the alternative versus conventional freestall (0.60±0.06 vs. 0.05±0.06h/d), but stall designs had no effect on time spent lying down (13.2±0.4 vs. 12.9±0.4h/d). In the choice phase, cows spent more time lying down in the conventional freestall (9.4±0.8 vs. 4.1±0.8h/d) and more time standing with all 4 hooves in the alternative stall (0.24±0.03 vs. 0.02±0.03h/d). These results illustrate how different stall design features can affect different types of stall use; the more open design facilitated standing fully in the stall, but the protruding partitions likely made the stall less suitable for lying.
Assuntos
Comportamento Animal , Bovinos/fisiologia , Abrigo para Animais , Bem-Estar do Animal , Animais , Comportamento de Escolha , FemininoRESUMO
Many cows have difficulty making the transition from pregnancy to lactation, as evidenced by the high incidence of disease that occurs in the weeks after calving. Changes in lying behavior can be used as an indicator of illness, yet no work to date has evaluated this relationship in dairy cows on pasture. The objectives of this study were to describe the lying behavior of grazing dairy cows during the first 3 wk after calving and determine the relationships between transition diseases and lying behavior. Our convenience sample included 227 multiparous and 47 primiparous Holstein cows from 6 commercial farms. Cows were recruited as they calved during the spring calving period. Electronic data loggers (Hobo Pendant G Acceleration, Onset Computer Corp., Pocasset, MA) recorded lying behavior at 1-min intervals. Diseases were recorded up to 21 d in milk, and cows were subsequently categorized into 3 health categories: (1) healthy, not lame and had no other signs of clinical (retained placenta, milk fever, metritis, mastitis) or subclinical (ketosis, hypocalcemia) postpartum diseases; (2) lame, identified as being clinically or severely lame with no other signs of clinical or subclinical postpartum disease; and (3) sick, diagnosed as having one or more clinical postpartum diseases (with or without a subclinical disease) but not lame. This last group was further divided into 2 groups: those that were diagnosed with a single clinical health event and those diagnosed with more than one clinical event. Lying behavior differed between primiparous and multiparous cows; primiparous cows divided their lying time into more bouts than did multiparous cows (9.7 ± 0.54 vs. 8.4 ± 0.26 bouts/d) and spent less time lying down than multiparous cows (7.5 ± 0.38 h/d vs. 8.5 ± 0.19 h/d). Lying behavior was also affected by illness; primiparous cows that developed more than one clinical disease, excluding lameness, spent more time lying, and tended to have longer lying bouts in the days following calving compared with healthy cows; multiparous severely lame cows spent more time lying down (1.7 h longer per day) compared with multiparous cows that were nonlame. Clinically lame cows had fewer lying bouts per day and these bouts were of longer duration than healthy nonlame cows. In summary, changes in lying behavior after calving were associated with postpartum health status in grazing dairy cows.