Minor stall modifications and outdoor access can help improve dairy cow welfare in tie-stalls

Canadian Journal of Animal Science

article

Santiago Palacio¹  Steve Adam²  Renée Bergeron³  Doris Pellerin⁴  Anne Marie de Passillé⁵  Jeff Rushen⁵  Derek Haley⁶  Trevor J. DeVries³  Elsa Vasseur¹ 

[1] Department of Animal Science, McGill University;Lactanet (Valacta);Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph;Département des sciences animales, Université Laval;Dairy Education and Research Centre, University of British Columbia;Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph

关键词: tie-stall;    dairy cow;    outdoor access;    animal welfare;   

DOI  :  10.1139/CJAS-2022-0038

学科分类：动物科学

来源: NRC Research Press

【 摘 要 】

Tie-stalls are the most confining method of housing for dairy cows and remain commonly used to house cows in many countries. Finding methods to improve animal welfare through housing modifications and alternative management strategies are of increasing importance. Twelve tie-stall dairy farms in Ontario and Quebec, Canada were visited four times in a 12 month period. Visits were spread to observe the effects of pasture (visit 1), short-term effects of stall modifications (visit 2), effects of winter confinement (visit 3), and final measures after 1 year (visit 4). Lameness, injuries, cow cleanliness, lying and rising behaviors, and production parameters were assessed at each visit. Outdoor access had the largest effect: cows with access to pasture had a lower prevalence of various outcome measures throughout all four visits. Also, cows in modified stalls had a higher prevalence of dirty udders compared to cows in unmodified stalls, but only on farms that provided outdoor access. Although applying minor stall modifications to tie-stalls can help improve aspects of animal welfare, providing year-round outdoor access may represent a more effective method; the continued provision of time outside the stall helps maintain the positive impact of outdoor/pasture access on the welfare of tie-stall dairy cows.

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