Abstract
Pasture access for dairy cows is highly valued both by cows and the public at large. When pasture access is not feasible, farmers can provide cows with alternative forms of outdoor access, such as an outdoor bedded pack, that may be easier to implement on some farms. We reviewed the literature on how lying, standing, walking, feeding, social, and estrus behaviors are influenced by pasture and other types of outdoor areas. Pasture allows the expression of grazing and can facilitate the expression of lying, standing, walking, and estrus behaviors. In addition, pasture can decrease the number of negative social interactions between cows, likely because more space per cow is provided than what is normally available indoors. The provision of soft flooring and an open space in outdoor bedded packs appears to provide some benefits for lying, standing, and walking behavior and may also have positive effects on social behavior, especially with larger space allowances. The effects of an outdoor bedded pack on estrus behavior are less well-documented, but the provision of a standing surface that provides better footing than typically available indoors may promote estrus behavior. Alternative outdoor areas assessed to date appear to be less attractive for cows than pasture, perhaps because these areas do not provide the opportunity to graze. We encourage future research to investigate the importance of grazing for dairy cows. The motivation of dairy cows to access alternative outdoor areas should also be investigated. As cow preference for the outdoors depends on many factors, providing cows a choice may be of particular importance.
Highlights
Pasture access for dairy cows is declining in many parts of the world, even though citizens from different countries view pasture as important [e.g., The Netherlands: [1]; Germany: [2]; Canada and the US: [3]; Brazil: [4]]
Pasture can provide cows with an open area and a soft surface that allows the expression of grazing and facilitates the expression of lying, standing, walking, and estrus behaviors
Keeping cows on pasture decreases negative social interactions between cows, potentially because cows on pasture engage in fewer encounters compared to when housed indoors
Summary
Pasture access for dairy cows is declining in many parts of the world, even though citizens from different countries view pasture as important [e.g., The Netherlands: [1]; Germany: [2]; Canada and the US: [3]; Brazil: [4]]. These studies indicate that people value access to natural elements for cows such as fresh air and sunshine and the ability to roam, i.e., elements that extend beyond the provision of pasture per se. Several Nordic European countries have implemented regulations that require farms to provide dairy cows with access to pasture for specified periods of time.
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