The Effect of Housing System on Disease Prevalence and Productive Lifespan of Dairy Herds-A Case Study.

Abstract

Simple SummaryLivestock welfare should be continuously improved to meet social and consumer expectations. Selected technological solutions can improve dairy cows’ welfare, which indirectly improves their health status and disease resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different housing systems on disease prevalence and the productive lifespan of dairy cows. The study was conducted on a single farm between 2015 and 2020. In total, 480 cows kept indoors in four different buildings using four housing systems were analyzed in each year of the study. The prevalence of the most common cattle diseases and the average productive lifespan of dairy cows were analyzed in each housing system, based on veterinary reports. The study demonstrated that housing system affects disease prevalence in dairy herds, but none of the tested solutions was without weaknesses. Deep litter was better overall. Lower morbidity in this system was associated with an increase in productive herd life, which was significantly longer. The prevalence of mastitis was reduced in the tie-stall barn, but the risk of lameness, retained placenta, parturient paresis and displaced abomasum was higher in this system. Overall morbidity was highest in the free-stall barns with a self-cleaning floor and with a slatted floor.Selected technological solutions can impact health status of animals. The aim of this case study was to determine the effect of different housing systems on disease prevalence and the productive lifespan of dairy cows. In total, 480 cows kept indoors on one farm in four buildings using four different housing systems (a free-stall barn with a slatted floor; a free-stall barn with a self-cleaning floor; an open-pack barn with deep litter; a tie-stall barn with shallow litter) were analyzed. The data from 6 years, based on veterinary reports, were processed statistically in Statistica 13.00. The study demonstrated that the average productive lifespan was longer (p ≤ 0.01), by up to more than 8 months, in the system with deep litter, which was also characterized by the lowest disease prevalence (p ≤ 0.01), especially foot and some reproductive disorders. This trend was maintained in each year of the study period (2015–2020). In the tie-stall barn, the prevalence of mastitis was reduced, but the risk of lameness, retained placenta, parturient paresis and displaced abomasum was higher in this system (p ≤ 0.01). Overall morbidity was highest in the free-stall barns. Lower morbidity was associated with an increase in productive herd life.