Responses of Outdoor Housed Dairy Cows to Shade Access during the Prepartum Period under Temperate Summer Conditions.

Daniel Cartes,Fabiola Matamala,Rodrigo Held-Montaldo,Ana Strappini,Pilar Sepúlveda-Varas

doi:10.3390/ani11102911

Daniel Cartes, Fabiola Matamala + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102911

Copy DOI

Abstract

Simple SummaryLate pregnant dairy cows housed outdoor can be exposed to hot weather conditions for several weeks prior to calving affecting their physiology and behavior. We aimed to determine whether access to an artificial shade for outdoor-housed dairy cows during the three weeks prior to calving had a positive effect on lying, rumination, feeding, and drinking behaviors. Also, the relationship between access to shade and health status was investigated. Shaded cows increased rumination time, but the daily lying time was similar to unshaded cows. Also, shaded cows spent half of the time drinking during the warmest hours of the day and spent more time feeding during the morning feed than unshaded cows. The prepartum and postpartum body fat mobilization and presentations of clinical diseases after calving were similar between both treatments. This study presents evidence that shade is an important resource for cows during temperate summers, observing effects mainly on behavioral variables.Cows are affected by environmental factors associated with warm weather conditions; however, little is known about the effect of shade access especially during the prepartum period of dairy cows in temperate regions. This study assessed the effect of shade on the behavior (lying, rumination, feeding, and drinking), body fat mobilization, and health status of outdoor-housed dairy cows during the prepartum period under temperate summer conditions. During the 3 weeks prior to calving, 24 multiparous Holstein cows were grouped (4 cows/group) and assigned to either an open corral without shade or with access to shade until calving. We daily measured shade use, lying, rumination, feeding, and drinking behavior. Weekly, prepartum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and postpartum b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentrations were measured. Clinical examination was periodically performed individually until 21 postpartum days. Shade use averaged 45.6, 46.0, and 19.8% during the hottest hours of the day (11–18 h) in weeks 3, 2, and 1 prior to calving, respectively. Shaded cows had higher values for rumination time and feeding time during the morning but spent less time drinking during the warmest hours than unshaded cows. NEFA and BHB concentrations and clinical diseases were similar between both treatments. These findings suggest that under temperate summer conditions the access to an artificial shade is an important resource, observing beneficial effects mainly on behavioral variables.

Highlights

Seasonal calving is often used in grazing dairy farms in temperate regions to maximize pasture nutrient utilization to support lactation, minimize costs associated with purchased feeds and maintain the supply of milk through the year [1,2,3]
Considerable research has shown that exposure to warm weather imposes challenges to the welfare and productivity of animals in pasture-based systems, but most of the work to date has focused on lactating dairy cows [5,6,7]
Behavioral changes have been documented in both indoor and pasture lactating dairy cows exposed to warm weather, little is known about how these climatic conditions may affect cow behavior during the weeks before calving

Summary

Introduction

Seasonal calving is often used in grazing dairy farms in temperate regions to maximize pasture nutrient utilization to support lactation, minimize costs associated with purchased feeds and maintain the supply of milk through the year [1,2,3]. Cows that calve at the beginning of the autumn calving season might be especially affected by environmental factors associated with warm summer weather during their prepartum periods such as high air temperature, relative humidity, and high solar radiation levels [4]. A better understanding of the responses of dry pregnant cows to summer weather even in temperate zones would be an important first step for designing better management practices during this important period. Karimi et al [8]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion