Abstract
Many dairy cows in the developed world are now housed exclusively indoors with fewer than 5% of the 10 million lactating cows in the United States having access to pasture during the grazing season. Indoor housing systems are designed to meet biological needs for food, water, hygiene, and shelter, but surveys of public and farmer opinion suggest that people think that pasture access is also important for the well-being of dairy cows. To determine if pasture access is important to the cows themselves, we investigated to what extent cows will work to access pasture (by pushing on a weighted gate), and compared it to the motivation to access fresh feed. Cows worked at least as hard to access pasture as they did to access the fresh feed and worked hardest for outdoor access in the evening hours. Echoing public views on what allows for a good life for cattle, these results show that cows are highly motivated for outdoor access.
Highlights
The total mixed ration (TMR) consisted of 21.8% corn silage, 18.6% grass silage, 10.3% alfalfa hay and 49.3% concentrate mash, on a dry matter basis to ad libitum intake
The TMR was composed of 48.2% dry matter on average, with 18.5% crude protein, 31.6% neutral detergent fibre and 18.9% acid detergent fibre
Cows pushed harder for access to pasture than in the morning, with survival analysis and reservation price (mean max weight [SEM] in kg: afternoon = 29.27 [3.90] and morning = 23.55 [3.00]; paired t(18) = 2.08, P < 0.05) both showing higher motivation for pasture in the evening
Summary
We used 22 pregnant, late lactation Holstein cows averaging (mean ±SD) 221 ± 14.4 days in milk, producing on average 30.0 ± 3.8 L of milk/day, 1.4 ± 0.7 parity, weighing 648 ± 93.3 kg, and body condition score of 3.0 ± 0.4 (scored from 1 to 5)[11]. In Phase 1 we used two indoor pens fitted with lying stalls, a designated feeding area and fresh drinking water. Cows were milked twice daily at approximately 0630 and 1700 h. Cows were offered fresh feed in the form of a total mixed ration (TMR) ad libitum, delivered daily at approximately 0630 h and 1600 h. The TMR consisted of 21.8% corn silage, 18.6% grass silage, 10.3% alfalfa hay and 49.3% concentrate mash, on a dry matter basis to ad libitum intake. The TMR was composed of 48.2% dry matter on average, with 18.5% crude protein, 31.6% neutral detergent fibre and 18.9% acid detergent fibre
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