Abstract
Simple SummaryIn Santa Catarina, Brazil, most milk is produced on small-scale farms that utilize grazing as the main form of nutrition; however, the farms differ in how they provide water for their herds, with some herds not providing access to drinking water while on pasture and other herds having unrestricted access to water. In this study, we assessed the milk production on farms that differ in the way drinking water is provided to the herd. Herds with unrestricted access to drinking water produced more milk than herds that had restricted access to drinking water, regardless of the main breed of the herd, and amount of concentrate offered per cow per day. Simple changes in water management practices may positively impact milk production.In this cross-sectional study, we measured the association between water provision and milk production on intensively managed small-scale grazing dairy herds. Farms (n = 53) were categorized according to water provision as follows: (1) Restricted—cows did not have access to a water trough while on pasture; and (2) Unrestricted—cows had free access to a water trough while on pasture. Herd main breed and feeding practices were included in a model to assess the effect of water provision category on farm average milk yield/cow/d. The effect of pasture condition and environmental variables on milk production were also assessed, however were not retained on the final model. Herds provided with unrestricted access to drinking water produced on average 1.7 L more milk per cow/d (p = 0.03) than herds with restricted access to drinking water. Predominantly Holstein herds produced 2.8 L more milk per cow/d (p < 0.01) than non-Holstein herds. Each extra kg of concentrate offered per day increased milk yield by 1.1 L/cow/d (p < 0.01). In conclusion, providing free access to drinking water while grazing was associated with greater milk production.
Highlights
There are a variety of dairy production systems that directly impact dairy cattle welfare and production [1,2]
For this study we report only data collected in the first visit for every enrolled farm, which occurred between 27 February and 3 June 2015
Though causal relationships cannot be inferred from observational studies, in this study herds causal relationships cannotaccess be inferred from observational studies, this study herds that Though were provided unrestricted water while grazing were associated withinan approximately that provided unrestrictedInwater access while grazing were associated an[18], approximately
Summary
There are a variety of dairy production systems that directly impact dairy cattle welfare and production [1,2]. Managed grazing systems are widely adopted in areas where pasture growth occurs year-round (e.g., Brazil: [3]; Argentina: [4]; Ireland: [5]; and New Zealand: [6]) These grazing systems often use some form of rotational grazing using a series of paddocks to control grazing, improving forage production and grazing efficiency Animals 2019, 9, 48 them for the milking This practice may have negative effects on animal welfare and productivity if, for example, the cows do not have access to drinking water (hereafter referred to as water) in the paddock (e.g., [9]). Such practices may cause thirst, an emotional state long regarded as detrimental to animal welfare [10]
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