Changes in dairy cows' behaviour, health, and production after transition from tied to loose housing.

BACKGROUND: Transition of dairy cows from a tied to a loose housing system may affect their behaviour, health and production. Such housing system changes have become more frequent in Estonia but knowledge is lacking on how cows adapt to a new system. The aim of this study was to evaluate how cows' behaviour, milk production and composition, and different aspects of their health changed after transition from tied to loose housing. RESULTS: A herd of 400 dairy cows was moved to a new system on the same farm, so that effects of transport were not confounding factors. Behavioural observations were made for approximately 4 months following transition. Milk production data were recorded from 12 months before to 12 months after transition. Examination for skin alterations and cleanliness, as well as body condition scoring were carried out before transition, and thereafter monthly throughout the study. Significant effects on behaviour were observed just after the transition, with increases in the behaviour indicative of poor welfare, such as vocalisation and aggression, and decreases in those indicative of a good state of welfare, such as ruminating, resting and grooming. These effects were of short duration, with most returning to a steady state after the first week. Milk production declined already before the transition but fell significantly after transition, and this fall lasted longer in older cows. Likewise, somatic cell counts were higher in all cows following transition, but older cows were affected significantly more than cows in the first lactation. The frequency of lameness and skin alterations increased on average after transition. Body condition scores fell after transition but recovered by the second month. Therefore, there were adverse effects on the behaviour, health and production of the dairy cows transferred, although, apart from older cows, of short duration. CONCLUSION: The transition from tied to loose housing first had negative impacts on the welfare of the cows, although by the tenth day the behavioural indicators had returned to normal values. Impacts were more severe in higher parity cows, indicating that the change was more of a challenge for older cows. The findings of this study suggest that animals' behaviour and health should be more carefully observed within about 2 weeks after transition. It is quite likely that more and more farmers in Estonia and elsewhere will recognize the benefits of keeping their dairy cattle in loose housing, aimed at improving animal welfare and the value of the production chain.

Behavior and Performance of Dairy Cows After Transfer from Tied to Cubicle Housing.

Behavior and performance changes when tied dairy cows were moved to a loose housing system in a cubicle system were investigated. Behavioral observations were made for 3 consecutive days in 3 periods after transition. The cows (n = 105) were observed on 18 sampling occasions for 1 month. Recordings were made of body positions and general and social behaviors. Monthly milk records were collected 1 year before and 1 year after transition. Cows walked more during the 1st observation period than during the other periods (p < .05). Walking activity also differed between days when nested to period (p < .05). During the 1st period, cows ruminated while standing more than during the 3rd period (p < .05). Cows ate and groomed less and vocalized more during the 1st period (p < .05). It was concluded that after transition from a tied to a cubicle system, several behaviors were affected during the 1st days, and milk production of multiparous cows was negatively affected, although this effect was not long-term.

Impact of elastic stall partitions on tied dairy cows' behaviour and stall cleanliness.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of soft elastic stall partitions on the positions in own or neighbouring stalls by dairy cows, faeces and urine, and of contact between animal and partition. There were two designs of a soft elastic partition, here called I-partition and lambda-partition. The study was performed on a commercial dairy herd where the partitions had been developed. After clinical examination 16 lactating cows were selected and used as focal animals, and paired for video recordings. The animals were placed, according to their size, on stalls with different breadths and lengths. Each pair of focal animals was video recorded continuously for 9 days according to the following sequence: (1) with partition 3x24 h; (2) without partition 3x24 h; (3) with partition again 3x24 h. Before each such session each focal pair was again clinically examined. Behaviours were analysed per hour, summarised per 24h and analysed with a mixed linear model or Wilcoxon Rank Sum test. Without partitions more urine (p<0.05) and faeces (p<0.05) landed on the neighbouring cow's stall and the time standing 45 degrees to the manger was longer (p<0.01), whereas the time standing 90 degrees to the manger was shorter (p<0.01). Without partitions three out of the 16 cows were standing and three were lying parallel to the manger. Presence or absence of partitions did not influence the total lying time per 24 h. Cows with the lambda-partition defecated more seldom in neighbouring stalls than cows with the I-partition (p<0.01). It is concluded that without partitions between tied animals more eliminations on neighbouring stalls and more deviations from the 90 degrees position in relation to the manger occurred. This seems to be the first experimental study of how partitions influence the behaviour of tied cattle and the results support the general advice that tied cattle should have partitions.