Abstract
Aim of study: Dairy farmers in Southern Spain are continuously investing in the modernization of their facilities and frequently ask technicians about the type of housing they should choose for their farms. Although some studies have analysed the economic impact of different housing systems, there are no reports evaluating the impact of these systems on animal wellbeing. To remedy this deficit, a study was carried out to analyse animal welfare status in two types of loose housing conditions: deep litter (DL) and cubicle (CU) barns.Area of study: This study was conducted in Cordoba (Spain).Material and methods: A total of 1,597 cows from nineteen commercial dairy farms were involved in this study, of which twelve had CU barns and seven had DL barns. Welfare Quality assessment was used to evaluate animal wellbeing, inn order to compare both housing systems.Main results: The study found some weaknesses for feeding and health indicators of animal welfare in both types of housing systems. The overall welfare assessment based on feeding, housing and health indicators showed no differences between farms with DL or CU barns.Research highlights: A good welfare status could be reached under any type of housing system.
Highlights
The different types of housing systems aim to offer the most comfortable environment for dairy cows, among other reasons, in order to safeguard animal welfare. It is worth measuring the wellbeing indicators of cows housed in distinct systems, because poor welfare can induce suppression of the immune system and other disturbances, which are likely to increase the risk of disease (Abeni & Bertoni, 2009)
Dairy cattle are usually accommodated in tie or loose housing systems, with numerous variations within each system according to the type of bedding, the presence of stalls and the size of the resting area, among others
Pérez-Marín and Francisco Maroto-Molina predominantly used in Southern Spain are deep litter (DL) barns and freestall or cubicle (CU)
Summary
The different types of housing systems aim to offer the most comfortable environment for dairy cows, among other reasons, in order to safeguard animal welfare. In this context, it is worth measuring the wellbeing indicators of cows housed in distinct systems, because poor welfare can induce suppression of the immune system and other disturbances, which are likely to increase the risk of disease (Abeni & Bertoni, 2009). Pérez-Marín and Francisco Maroto-Molina predominantly used in Southern Spain are deep litter (DL) barns (which have unobstructed lying areas for every group of cows) and freestall or cubicle (CU)
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