Welfare assessment on dairy cattle farms in Eastern Croatia
| Autor: | Eberhart Nicole L., Krawczel Peter D., Mijić Pero, Gantner Vesna, Gregić Maja, Bobić Tina |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: | |
| Zdroj: | Biotechnology in Animal Husbandry, Vol 35, Iss 1, Pp 13-24 (2019) |
| Druh dokumentu: | article |
| ISSN: | 1450-9156 2217-7140 |
| Popis: | The objective of this study was to evaluate the welfare status of high-producing Holstein dairy cows on commercial Croatian farms. Lying behavior data was collected from 278 dairy cows across four farms with varying milking parlors and housing systems in eastern Croatia for at least 3 days. Data loggers recording at 1-min intervals recorded behaviors: lying time (min/d), lying bout duration (min/bout), lying bouts (n/d) and laterality of lying. Acceleration data was summarized into lying behaviors for each individual cow. Health scores (udder cleanliness, locomotion, and hock injuries) were also assessed. The univariate procedure was used to generate mean lying behaviors and health scores by farm with a 95% CI. Mean lying time per farm ranged from 11.7 ± 2.7 to 10.4 ± 2.7 h/d. Prevalence of lame cows ranged from 28% to 50%. Heavily soiled udders ranged from 2% to 12%. Prevalence of left hocks with minor to major swelling ranged from 50% to 100%; prevalence of right hocks with minor to major swelling ranged from 45% to 100%. In conclusion, all farms assessed have opportunities to improve overall welfare through increasing udder cleanliness and reducing hock injuries. |
| Databáze: | Directory of Open Access Journals |
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