Farm-Level Risk Factors for Lameness in 659 German Dairy Herds Kept in Loose Housing Systems

Autor: Anna Tillack, Roswitha Merle, Kerstin-Elisabeth Müller, Martina Hoedemaker, Katharina Charlotte Jensen, Andreas W. Oehm, Marcus Klawitter, Annegret Stock
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Animals, Vol 14, Iss 17, p 2578 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2076-2615
DOI: 10.3390/ani14172578
Popis: Six hundred fifty-nine farms in three regions of Germany (North: n = 240, East: n = 247, and South: n = 172) were included in the study, which aims at determining the association of management-related risk factors with farm-level lameness in German dairy herds. For each risk factor, a generalised linear regression model with negative binomial distribution and logit link was built. Results showed that cows housed in deep-bedded cubicles had a lower risk of being lame than cows housed in other cubicle types. A larger cubicle width was associated with a lower risk of being lame. Feeding a total mixed ration was associated with lower lameness prevalence (compared to feeding a partial mixed ration or single components). For first lactation cows, lameness assessment performed daily (compared to less than daily) and during other work tasks (compared to lameness assessment as a separate work task) were associated with lower risk for lameness. Finally, the present study provided evidence for crucial associations of management-related risk factors with lameness in German dairy cows, especially in the fields of cubicle design, feeding management, and lameness assessment.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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