The effect of housing systems on hoof diseases/disorders and percentage of culling in Holstein dairy cows

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to investigate the effect of the housing system (tie-stall and free-stall barns) on the prevalence of hoof diseases/disorders, as well as on the percentage of culling in 6,348 Holstein dairy cows from 5 farms. During the three months of research the hoof care service on all farms collected records of causes of lameness, diagnoses and treatments. Functional and corrective hoof trimming was conducted by a professional farm trimmer. When all the registered diseases/disorders were observed as a percentage (all diseases = 100%), it was noticed that both housing systems were similarly affected by the same diseases/disorders. In this regard, White Line Disease occurred in both systems in prevalence of 0.5% - 1%, Toe Ulcer and Necrosis in 3% - 6%, Rusterholz Ulcer / Sole Ulcer in 20% - 23%, Digital Dermatitis in 18% - 20%, Interdigital Hyperplasia / Tyloma in 10% - 12%, Panaritium / Interdigital Phlegmon in 0.7% - 0.77%, while the prevalence of Mechanical Injury was negligible and in similar amounts - 0.2% - 0.5%. Cows in the free-stall barns were much more burdened with Dermatitis Interdigitalis / Heel Erosion Disease (39.11%) compared to cows in the bound housing system (20.40%). In contrast, diagnosed acute, chronic and haemorrhagic Laminitis was significantly more pronounced in the tie-stall barns (18.61%) than in the free-stall barns (0.88%). In the statistical analysis conducted, statistically significantly more diseases/disorders were registered in the tie-stall system than in the free housing system (P<0.01). During the three months of the study, the average percentage of culling in the free system was 5.4%, while in the tie-stall system it was 4.9%. This difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05).