Shade Modifies Behavioral and Physiological Responses of Low to Medium Production Dairy Cows at Pasture in an Integrated Crop-Livestock-Forest System

Autor: A. G. Muller, Natani Silva Reis, Juaci Vitória Malaquias, Concepta McManus, Carlos Frederico Martins, Isabel Cristina Ferreira, Álvaro Moraes da Fonseca Neto, Gabriel Alberto Santos de Pinho, Ana Clara Barbosa de Souza, Fernando Antônio Macena, Lucas A Mazocco, Luiz Carlos Balbino
Přispěvatelé: NATANI S. REIS, ISABEL CRISTINA FERREIRA, CPAC, LUCAS A. MAZOCCO, ANA CLARA B. SOUZA, GABRIEL A. S. PINHO, ALVARO MORAES DA FONSECA NETO, CPAC, JUACI VITORIA MALAQUIAS, CPAC, FERNANDO ANTONIO MACENA DA SILVA, CPAC, ARTUR GUSTAVO MULLER, CPAC, CARLOS FREDERICO MARTINS, CPAC, LUIZ CARLOS BALBINO, CPAC, CONCEPTA M. MCMANUS.
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI
Animals, Vol 11, Iss 2411, p 2411 (2021)
Repositório Institucional da EMBRAPA (Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from EMBRAPA-Alice)
Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (Embrapa)
instacron:EMBRAPA
Animals
Volume 11
Issue 8
ISSN: 2076-2615
Popis: Simple Summary The husbandry of high-producing dairy cattle on pasture in tropical regions promotes heat stress and alters physiological and behavioral parameters. However, it is unknown how the physiological and behavioral responses of cows more adapted to tropical environments under heat stress conditions, with lower milk production under shaded pasture or full sun conditions. To respond to these questions, Gyr dairy and Girolando cows (5/8 Holstein 3/8 Gyr, and ½ Holstein ½ Gyr) were evaluated in full sun and under natural shade from trees. Behavioral, physiological, and morphological variables were measured, and it was concluded that shaded pasture for dairy zebu cows promotes animal welfare by mitigating animal surface temperature and increasing rumination time. Abstract Under conditions of high temperature, humidity, and incidence of solar radiation, dairy cows use behavioral changes as a strategy to decrease the metabolic heat production at pasture. The objective of this study was to evaluate the behavioral and physiological responses of Gyr and Girolando (5/8 Holstein 3/8 Gyr, and ½ Holstein ½ Gyr) dairy cows submitted to environments with and without shade. The experiment was conducted at Embrapa Cerrados (Technology Center for Dairy Zebu breeds—CTZL), Brasilia, Distrito Federal—Brazil, with 48 Gyr and Girolando cows total in the lactation group, with low to medium milk production, in full sun or shade with Eucalyptus urograndis (267 plants/ha−1). The physiological and behavioral characteristics evaluated were panting score, superficial temperature, and time spent grazing, ruminating, and lying down. Other traits included skin and coat thickness, hair diameter, density and length, and predominant coat color. In addition, body measurements, such as body length, the height of withers, chest circumference, and shin circumference, were measured. Shaded cows had 34% longer rumination times than cows in full sun (p = 0.01). With a temperature-humidity index ranging from 79 to 83, the rumination time was 1.7 times higher in cows under shade (p = 0.01) during a 24-h period of observation. There were no significant differences in the grazing time between the environments, but lying time was 23% longer in cows under the sun (p = 0.01). The panting score was not influenced by the environment (p = 0.17). Girolando cows had a 35% higher panting score than Gyr cows (p = 0.01) regardless of the environment. The panting score increased two and a half times during the afternoon compared with the morning (p = 0.01). The surface and rectal core temperatures had significant differences between treatments and time of the day. Body measurements were not different between cows in both environments, but there was a difference between breeds. The use of trees in pastures with a silvopastoral system for dairy zebu cows is indicated to improve grazing behavior, as well as time spent ruminating and lying down.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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