Housing Management Practices Research Articles

Sustainable Consumption in the Baltic States: The Carbon Footprint in the Household Sector

Sustainable consumption is one of the main aspects while implementing sustainable development goals. The main feature of sustainable consumption is the reduction of environmental impact. Thus, it is vital to understand and evaluate the environmental impact caused by consumption. In this paper, carbon footprint analyses of the Baltic States for the period of 2000–2019 were used to study sustainable consumption and pro-environmental behavior development. The results show not only how carbon footprint changes in different consumption categories (e.g., mobility, housing, food, and services), but whether it is related to changes in pro-environmental behavior as the promotion of sustainable consumption is crucial to reduce the consumption-based carbon footprint. The results from multi-regional input-output analyses show that in the Baltic States 62–71% of all the household carbon footprint is attributed to the three main consumption categories—transport, food, and housing. These categories are also responsible for 53–56% of the household expenditure. Consequently, changes in our mobility, food consumption, and housing management practices can significantly reduce the household environmental impacts. However, to minimize carbon footprints, behavioral changes are not enough; structural changes in the agro-food, housing, energy, and transport systems are also needed.

Scientific Management Practices Followed by Sheep Rearing Farmers in Raichur District of Karnataka, India

Livestock is one of the most remunerative enterprises among the farming community the present study was undertaken to know the scientific sheep management practices by sheep owners in Raichur and Lingasugur taluks of Raichur district. For this purpose, 6 villages from each taluks were selected on the basis of highest sheep population. Ten respondents drawn from each selected village with 120 sample size. The data was collected through structured schedule and the data were analyzed by using appropriate statistical methods. The findings of the study indicated that a large majority of the sheep owners (85.00%) administer the drugs for de worming in lamb management, followed by providing of fresh and clean water (83.33%) and proper bedding material (80.00%) in winter season. With regards feeding management of the sheep, a large majority of the respondents (85.00%) allowed their sheep for grazing in community land Nearly one fifth of the respondents provided green fodder throughout the year as their land comes under the canal irrigation provision, in addition to bore well facilities. Further, 100% of the respondents had proper floor space for the sheep size with cleaning padlock regularly in housing management practices. It is worth to note that 83.00 per cent of them monitor heat detection in sheep and provided treatment to the animals which were suffering from reproductive disorder (87.50%).This is mainly due to the availability of veterinary services in the locality. With regards health management practices, cent percent of the respondents check up the health of the sheep regularly and administer vaccination as scheduled (4/annum) and disinfection of the padlock in order to prevent the disease.

Climate impacts and adaptation in US dairy systems 1981-2018.

Animal-level responses to weather variability in US dairy systems are well described, but the potential of housing and other farm management practices (for example, fans and sprinklers) to moderate the impacts of weather remains uncertain. Here we assess the influence of historical variation in the temperature-humidity index (THI) on milk yields using monthly state-level yield data and high-resolution daily weather data over 1981-2018. We find that milk yields are compromised by exposure to both extreme heat (>79 THI) and cold (<39 THI), causing average daily yield decreases of around 3.7% and 6.1%, respectively, relative to optimal conditions (65-69 THI). Colder regions are more sensitive to heat extremes, and warm regions are more sensitive to cold extremes. Sensitivity to THI has reduced dramatically over time. Climate trends contributed modestly (around 0.1% over 38 years) to rising yields in most states via alleviating cold stress, although more extreme future conditions may negate these benefits.

​A Study on the Housing and Feeding Management Practices Followed by Rural Milk Producers of Telangana State

An investigation was carried out to study the housing and feeding management practices followed by the dairy farmers in five districts of Telangana state. From each district one mandal and from each mandal five villages were selected. The data was collected from 150 farmers through personal interview utilizing a schedule developed for the purpose. It was observed that most of the dairy farmers (59.33%) had medium herd size and 59.33% of farmers housed their animals beside their houses while 14.67% and 26% of the farmers housed the animals in a separate shed and below the shade of tree, respectively. Most of the animal sheds (66%) in the study area had mud flooring. Majority of farmers (52%) were not taking any measures to protect animals from extreme heat in summer. Grazing and group feeding were most commonly practised except in Rangareddy district where most of farmers (56.67%) followed individual feeding. Majority of the farmers from Medak (50%) and Mahaboobnagar (60%) districts were following one time feeding of their animals, whereas, most farmers from Vikarabad (66.67%) fed two times in a day. In Rangareddy and Nalgonda, majority (66.67% and 63.33%) of the farmers were offering feed three times. Most of the farmers were producing fodder by themselves in Vikarabad, Medak, Nalgonda and Mahaboobnagar districts and their percentages were 66.67%, 63.33% 93.33% and 86.67%, respectively. Most of the farmers of Rangareddy district were procuring fodder from outside.

​Study on Housing Management Practices Followed by Dairy Farmers in Northern Telangana State of India

Background: Adequate housing is essential for wellbeing and welfare of any kind of livestock, which keeps them comfort and healthy thereby increases production and reproduction performance by exploiting their fullest genetic potential. As scanty information available on farmers practices on animal housing, the present study was undertaken to assess housing management practices followed by dairy farmers in Northern Telangana state of India. Methods: Data were collected from randomly selected 240 dairy farmers from 24 villages of 8 mandals from 4 districts. A pretested semi-structured questionnaire in precise language was employed for collecting data through interview and face to face discussion with the dairy farmers duly avoiding ambiguous, dichotomous and non-variant items for proper interpretation. Result: Majority (59.58%) respondents kept animals in kutcha houses and 74.58% sheds located to nearby their dwellings. Majority (50.42%) of the sheds were in east-west direction and 82.08% of the respondents followed single line system of housing. Majority 91.25, 95.42, 84.16, 67.92 and 69.58% of the respondents protected animals against extreme weather conditions, maintained cleanliness, had earthen floor, backward slope in the floor and wooden pillars, respectively. Majority of animal houses had thatched roof (50.42%) and without walls (82.08%) and majority of them (89.58%) provided mangers but only 11.25% had pucca type mangers. Only a few respondents (14.58%) provided pucca drainage system and most of the farmers (58.75%) had manure pit adjacent to their animal houses. The study concludes that, the dairy farmers of the study area are well aware of advantages of keeping animals in hygienic animal houses under adverse tropical climatic conditions of the study area and providing them periodical trainings and visits to modern organised dairy farms helps them to optimize productivity from dairy animals.

Pre-Weaned Calf Rearing on Northern Irish Dairy Farms: Part 1. A Description of Calf Management and Housing Design.

Simple SummaryCalf health, welfare and performance in the first few months of life are important for the lifetime productivity of dairy cows. Therefore, all aspects of management, including nutrition, hygiene, housing and health, should be optimal to maintain productive calves. As there is little information surrounding these areas on Northern Irish dairy farms, this study investigated 66 farms with the objective of describing common trends and identifying factors which have the potential to compromise calf health, welfare and performance. A large degree of variation was seen in calf housing and other management practices across the farms. The majority of housing, in terms of building design and functionality, was identified as sub-optimal and is likely a contributing factor for selection of particular management practices. Regular monitoring of management practices such as measuring quantity of feedstuffs provided and animal live weight allows farmers to assess the effectiveness of their rearing system. However, this study highlighted a lack of appropriate monitoring and measuring in several key areas that present a risk for calf health and performance.The first few months of life are of great importance to the longevity and lifetime performance of dairy cows. The nutrition, environment and healthcare management of heifer calves must be sufficient to minimise exposure to stress and disease and enable them to perform to their genetic potential. Lack of reporting of farm management practices in Northern Ireland (NI) makes it difficult to understand where issues impacting health, welfare and performance may occur in the rearing process. The objective of this study was to investigate housing design and management practices of calves on 66 dairy farms across NI over a 3-month period and also identify areas that may cause high risk of poor health and performance in dairy calves. An initial survey was used to detail housing and management practices, with two subsequent visits to each farm used to collect animal and housing-based measurements linked to hygiene management, animal health and performance. Large variations in key elements such as weaning criteria and method, calf grouping method used, nutritional feed plane, and routine hygiene management were identified. The specification of housing, in particular ventilation and stocking density, was highlighted as a potential limiting factor for calf health and performance. Lack of measurement of nutritional inputs, hygiene management practices and calf performance was observed. This poses a risk to farmers’ ability to ensure the effectiveness of key management strategies and recognise poor calf performance and health.

17 Use of hair cortisol analysis to evaluate the influence of housing conditions on long-term stress in horses

Horses are kept in a variety of housing systems which often reflect the needs of both horses and their owners as well as available resources. Housing management practices not only impact horse health and performance but may also influence a horse's physiological and psychological stress. Traditional sampling methods using blood, saliva, urine, and feces are often utilized to evaluate stress in animals by measuring acute cortisol levels. Hair cortisol analysis allows for the quantification of long-term cortisol which may be a better indicator of prolonged periods of elevated stress. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the influence of transitioning horses from outdoor group housing to individual box stalls on hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and determine the relationship between physiological and behavioral stress responses. Hair samples were collected approximately every 30 d from the same location on 11 Quarter Horses (5 mares, 6 geldings; 3.5 ± 1.3 yr) over a period of 180 d (90d group housing/90d box stalls). Hair cortisol production was measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and horse heart rate (HR) and behavior were recorded throughout a series of novel object and sensory sensitivity tests. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED and Pearson correlations in SAS v. 9.4. HCC ranged from 0.6 pg/mg to 3.0 pg/mg throughout the study with an average concentration of 1.3 ± 0.4 pg/mg. Overall, there was no difference in HCC due to the type of housing system. However, HCC increased during the 30-d period immediately following the transition from group housing to individual housing and then decreased during the next 30 d period ( P < 0.05). These results suggest that the horses in this study experienced an increase in physiological stress due to the change in housing system but were able to adapt to their new environment. Interestingly, HCC were influenced by the color of the horse's mane and tail ( P < 0.01). Analysis of the relationship between physiological and behavioral responses during the novel object and sensory sensitivity tests revealed mixed results. Horse HR and reactivity were positively correlated during both sound sensitivity tests ( P < 0.05). However, behavioral observations and reactivity during the novel object, smell, and taste sensitivity tests were influenced by the stimulus ( P < 0.05). As behavioral responses may not always reflect physiological responses and only provide short-term measures of stress, hair cortisol has the potential to serve as a biomarker of long-term stress in horses and provides a tool to monitor the effects of management practices such as housing systems.

Benchmarking of farms with automated milking systems in Canada and associations with milk production and quality

The objective of this study was to benchmark the herd-level housing and management strategies of automated milking system (AMS) farms across Canada and assess the associations of these herd-level housing factors and management practices with milk production and quality. Canadian AMS farms (n = 197; Western Canada: n = 50, Ontario: n = 77, Quebec: n = 59, Atlantic Canada: n = 11) were each visited once from April to September 2019, and details were collected related to barn design and herd management practices. Milk-recording data for the 6 mo before farm visits were collected. Farms averaged (± standard deviation) 110 ± 102 lactating cows, 2.4 ± 1.9 AMS units/farm, 47.5 ± 14.9 cows/AMS, 36.7 ± 5.0 kg/d of milk, 4.13 ± 0.34% fat, 3.40 ± 0.16% protein, and a herd-average somatic cell count of 186,400 ± 80,800 cells/mL. Farms mainly used freestall housing systems (92.5%), organic bedding substrates (73.6%), and free flow cow traffic systems (87.8%); farms predominantly milked Holsteins (90.4%). Multivariable regression models were used to associate herd-level housing factors and management practices with milk production and quality. At the herd level, feed push-up frequency (mean = 12.8 ± 8.3 times per day) and feed bunk space (mean = 64 ± 21.5 cm/cow) were positively associated with milk yield. Greater milk yield was associated with herds using inorganic (sand) versus organic bedding, milking Holsteins versus non-Holsteins, and using a form of mechanical ventilation versus natural ventilation alone. Milk fat and milk protein content were only associated with breed. Herds with lower somatic cell counts had more frequent alley cleaning (mean = 12.1 ± 7.5 times per day), wider lying alleys (mean = 304.5 ± 40.0 cm), and sand bedding. The results highlight the importance of using sand bedding, using mechanical ventilation, keeping feed pushed up, ensuring alleys are clean, and ensuring adequate space at the feed bunk for maintaining herd-level productivity and milk quality in farms with AMS.

Assessment of socio-economic status and management practices related to backyard pig rearing in Hisar district of Haryana

The present study was conducted to assess the socio-economic status and scientific knowledge pertaining to housing, feeding, breeding, health and general management practices followed by poor families rearing pigs in backyard system. Information related to respondents from seven different villages of Hisar district (Haryana) were collected through a standard questionnaire. Data about age, sex, caste, family type, family size, marital status, occupation, average monthly income, average annual income, education, land holding and type of house of pig owners were collected to get acquainted with the personal profile and socio-economic status of the respondents. Management system practices related to housing, feeding, breeding and health of pigs were also studied. A total of one hundred households were selected randomly and interviewed through questionnaire. It was concluded that poor pig rearing families were not having sufficient knowledge about scientific backyard pig rearing practices which indicates towards the need of training for successful backyard pig rearing.

Early weaning: new insights on an ever-persistent problem in the dairy industry.

It is common practice in the dairy industry to separate the calf from the cow immediately after parturition, and in most parts of the world calves are housed individually during the milk-feeding period. Early and abrupt separation has major implications for the calf's physical and psychological development. In this Research Reflection short review we present and discuss the main housing systems and management practices regarding early weaning in today's dairy industry. Main benefits and disadvantages are critically addressed, and possible future research suggested. Furthermore, major policy issues related to consumers, scientific recommendations and economic performance of farms have been identified, as well as future drivers for more viable housing solutions for neonatal calves. This review serves as an introduction and preamble to the second section of this Special Issue, which is dedicated to cow-calf contact management systems.

Prevailing Housing and Healthcare Management Practices in Urban and Peri-Urban Dairy Farms of Navsari District, Gujarat State

Personal interviews collected the required information from a total of 40 dairy farms from urban and peri-urban areas in and around Navsari. Frequency distribution was made from collected data, and significance between two categories was tested by the Chi-square test. Data revealed that all farms provided housing round the year. The majority of the sheds had cement type of pillars and pucca floor. Gabled roof was more popular in peri-urban areas. The majority of the farms had animal shed away from human dwelling, east-west directional, a double row with head to head. The majority of the sheds had adequate light and good ventilation with drainage facility and manure pit located at an adjacent distance. The majority of farms (90%) practiced regular vaccination to their animals against foot and mouth disease and hemorrhagic Septicaemia disease. The majority (82.5%) of the respondents practiced deworming of their dairy animals regularly and also followed practices to control ectoparasites. However, only 37.5% of the farmers got their sick animals treated by veterinary officers, and 40% of farmers segregate disease affected animals. The study concluded that the majority of the farmers followed housing and health care management practices for improving the production potential and health of the dairy animals.

Beef cattle welfare assessment: use of resource and animal-based indicators, blood parameters and hair 20β-dihydrocortisol

The present study aims to evaluate beef cattle welfare with an integrated approach as housing conditions and management practices change and to investigate the relationship between the adopted parameters and their applicability. A total of 15 Piemontese breed bulls reared in a tied stall housing system and 15 Piemontese, 15 Blonde d’Aquitaine and 15 cross-breed from Ireland reared in group-pen were considered. A welfare protocol including a checklist and the ‘RIBECA’ scoring system was prepared for the assessment of animal-based measures and resource-based measures. Blood parameters and hair 20β-dihydrocortisol were also analysed. The animal-based score was not significantly different among the farms, while the total welfare score was ‘poor’ for the animals in the tied stall system, ‘fair’ for Piemontese cattle in the in pen and Irish cross-breed, and ‘very good’ for the Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle. Irish cross-breed were the most fearful, with the blood findings also suggesting that these animals showed the worst adaptation, whereas Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle were well adapted. Furthermore, 20β-dihydrocortisol was lower (p < .01) in Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle when compared to Piemontese cattle tied and Irish cross-breed. The concordance between haematochemical and hair 20β-dihydrocortisol findings observed in the present study suggests that Blonde d’Aquitaine and Piemontese cattle reared in pens were less stressed during their livestock life. Measurements of cortisol metabolites in the hair matrix seem to be a valid diagnostic tool for monitoring animal exposure to situations capable of increasing cortisol levels over time. Highlights Husbandry and management conditions could negatively affect animal welfare. The RIBECA protocol adopted identified some beef cattle welfare critical points. Checking of different blood parameters and hair cortisol metabolites may integrate welfare assessment.

Extent of knowledge and adoption of livestock rearing practices by the farmers from South Konkan

Majority (75.00 per cent) of the farmers had low knowledge regarding livestock rearing practices. Among the eight practices under housing management practices, all respondents (100.00 per cent) had knowledge about standing space, drainage channel/ gutter, single row housing system and water supply. Data related to health care management practices revealed that 100 per cent of the respondents had knowledge about care of sick animals and vaccination programme. In case of breeding management practices, it is observed that, heat detection in animals, method of breeding, time of artificial insemination, superior stock identification for extensive breeding practices were known to 100.00 per cent of dairy farmers. The result noticed from feed and fodder management practices revealed that, all of the respondents (100.00 per cent) had knowledge about concentrates and dry matter for pregnant animal and hay/ straw shed (Dutch barn). Cent per cent dairy farmers had knowledge about utensils used and their cleaning as well as sanitization, before milking, use of disinfectants for udder and teat cleaning and sign of calving. It was seen from care and management practices immediately after calving that 100.00 per cent dairy farmers had knowledge about watching of cow for placenta expulsion, allowing the calf to suck the colostrum, mucus removal from face and nostrils of calf, well ventilated environment and dry bedding. In case of extent of adoption of livestock rearing practices it was found that majority (49.16 per cent) of the farmers had low extent of adoption, followed by (39.17 per cent) of them show high adoption level, while 7.50 per cent and 4.17 per cent of the livestock owners were having medium and very high adoption level, respectively. In case of livestock rearing practices, full adoption was observed in practices like before milking, use of disinfectants for udder and teat cleaning, watching of cow for placenta expulsion, allowing the calf to suck the colostrum, mucus removal from face and nostrils of calf.

Status, constraints and future prospects of Murrah buffaloes in India

In the present review, an attempt has been made to explore Murrah buffalo, an important milch breed for its performance, genetic parameters, constraints and future scenario. In India, price of milk is decided on basis of fat percentage and buffalo milk fetches more money compared to cow milk to dairy farmers. Production and reproduction performances are among most important considerations to determine the profitability of any dairy farm. The production, reproduction and functional traits of Murrah buffaloes as reported by different workers at different organized farm were reviewed. Literature revealed that the 305-days lactation milk yield, 305-days lactation fat yield, 305-days lactation SNF yield, 305-days lactation total solid yield, peak yield, Fat %, SNF %, lactation length, dry period, age at first calving, service period, conception rate, pregnancy rate and calving interval varied from 1365±03 to 2086.17±44.66 kg, 118.3 to 167.38±4.46 kg,185.5±3.4 to 198.88±5.05 kg, 336.2±6.1 to 360.61±9.25 kg, 9.96 to 11.13±0.44 kg, 6.84% to 8.17%, 9.36% to 9.76%, 267.15 to 321.62 days,121.68 to 250.5 days, 1202 to 1618.83 days, 135.79 to 308 days, 68.80%, and 428.30 to 559.6 days, respectively in Murrah buffaloes. Heritability and repeatability estimates for the production, 38% reproduction and functional traits of Murrah buffaloes were also reviewed. Breeding, feeding, health and housing management practices have much impact on production and reproduction performance of animals and ultimately influence the economy of dairy farmers. Constraints in all these aspects are the obstacles to implement better animal husbandry practices in dairy animals and these should be overcome by taking suitable measures.

A study on housing management practices of dairy animals in the Varanasi district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh

The study was carried out on 250 dairy farmers from 25 villages of Varanasi District on random basis distributed evenly through pre-tested questionnaire and and on farm personal visit and observation to identify various existing housing management practices adopted by the dairy farmers for their livestock. Results revealed that majority of the respondents (73.2 %) had their separate animal house located nearby their own house. A total of 60.8% of the farmers did not have optimum size of animal house and 61.6% did not have optimum floor space for their animals. Head to head system was preferred by the majority (44.4 %) of the respondents, tail to tail in 21.0% and 34.6% respondents were adopting single line housing system for their dairy animals. As for the floor of the animal house 35.2, 30.0 and 34.0% respondents had pucca cemented floor, brick paved floor and earthen floor, respectively. Roof of the animal house was made up of asbestos sheets, galvanised iron sheet and thatched roof in case of 58.8%, 12.4% and 28.8 % of respondents respectively. Whereas, majority (66.4%) respondents were using pucca (cemented) manger for feeding their animals; only 38.8 % of the respondents had provision of pucca drainage system. Although 53.2% had fairly good ventilation, only only 31.6% maintained proper cleanliness in their animal house. It was concluded that, dairy farmers of Varanasi district were not having optimum houses and they were not adopting proper scientific housing management practices for their dairy animals. Accordingly, it was revealed that there is a lot of scope for increasing productivity of animals and thereby, income of farmers from dairy animals by improving the housing parameters and housing management practices of dairy animals.

Housing and Management System Practiced by Tribal Farmers in Rajasthan

The aim of the study was to assess the floor, feeding and watering space(s) and other housing management practice of goats followed by farmers in Rajasthan. A total of 120 tribal goat farmers were selected from 12 villages from 6 blocks in 3 tribal dominated districts viz., Banswara, Dungarpur and Udaipur. Ten farmers from each village were selected purposively based on the number of goats. The selected goat farmers were grouped into three categories based on flock size as small (&lt;25 goats, N= 60), medium (26-50 goats, N = 36) and large (&gt;50 goats, N = 24). The floor space and other housing practices at the farmer’s flocks were recorded in-situ. The average flock size for small, medium and large categories of the farmer was 22.63± 0.210, 33.72± 1.05 and 58.54 ±1.28 respectively. The overall proportion of milking goats, dry goats, goatlings, kids and bucks were 12.52 ± 0.31 (32.63%), 8.62 ± 0.30 (22.50%), 6.64 ± 0.27 (17.33%), 9.52 ± 0.29 (24.85%) and 0.79 ± 0.06 respectively. Across flock size categories most of the large farmers and a sizable majority of medium and small farmers (75, 66.67 and 60 per cent respectively) housed their goat in one shed, whereas rest of the farmers in all three categories housed their goats in different sheds. It was observed that a huge majority of farmers (82.50%) did not have separate managers for the feeding of goats. The available managers were made of either mud (11.6%) or cement concrete (5.8%). The roof in case of a large majority of farmers across flock size categories was made of thatch (61.67%) followed by iron sheet (21.66%) and asbestos sheets (16.67%). There was no major variation in the type of roofing material among the three flock size categories of goat farmers. The average floor space available for milking goats, dry goats, goatlings, kids and breeding bucks were 1.68 ± 0.02, 1.58± 0.06, 0.97± 0.07, 0.50± 0.05 and 2.79± 0.39 sq meter respectively. The average floor space was significant (p&lt;0.05) higher in small flock size category of farmers followed by medium and large farmers among milking goats, dry goats and goatlings. Overall floor space available for milking goats, dry goats, goatlings, kids and breeding bucks were 1.68 ± 0.02, 1.58± 0.06, 0.97± 0.07, 0.50± 0.05 and 2.79± 0.39 respectively. It was concluded that housing practices were mostly traditional without much regard to scientific recommendations. However, these management practices, in general, were better in the case of small farmers as compared to medium and large farmers.

Housing and Feeding Management Practices Followed by Adopted and Non-adopted Goat Farmers Under Adopted Villages of Assam, India

Housing and Feeding Management Practices Followed by Adopted and Non-adopted Goat Farmers Under Adopted Villages of Assam, India

A cross-sectional study of the welfare of calves raised in smallholder dairy farms in Meru, Kenya, 2017.

Aim:This study was aimed at describing calf comfort and determining the individual and pen level factors that affect comfort status (in particular, calf leg hygiene scores) of smallholder dairy farms in Meru County, Kenya.Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional study was carried out on 52 calves that were up to 1 year old in 38 dairy farms (mean±standard deviation: Herd size=1.71±0.7 milking cows and milk production=6.7±3.1 L/day) in Meru, Kenya, in 2017, with the intention to describe their comfort and determine the factors associated with leg hygiene as a critical parameter for calf comfort assessment. Calves’ biodata, health status, and leg hygiene were assessed, along with pen characteristics such as area, hygiene, and knee impact and knee wetness scores, while a questionnaire was administered to the farmers to gather information regarding calf housing management practices in the farm.Results:The calves had a mean body weight of 85.2±32.8 kg and average daily weight gain of 0.50±0.45 kg per day. 71% of calves had a good body condition score (≥2.5), and the mean space allowance per calf was 2.52±1.56 m2. Approximately 75% of the calves (39/52) were kept in pens, and the rest were reared outdoors. For 39 calves kept indoors, 26% (10/39) of them had wooden or concrete floors while 74% (29/39) had dirt floors. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of indoor calves (26/39) were reared in pens with bedding, and 23% (9/39) and 33% (13/39) of the calves reared indoors were kept in pens displaying a failed knee impact test and failed knee wetness test. Indoor housed calves had an increased probability of having dirty calf legs (cleanliness score of >2.5) by 8.6 times (p=0.031), compared to outdoor-housed calves. In the final multivariable logistic regression model of 39 calves in pens, concrete or wood floors (odds ratio [OR]=7.9, p=0.047), poor body condition (OR=17.1, p=0.020) and use of bedding (OR=12.5, p=0.046) appeared to be positively correlated with dirtiness of calf legs, compared to dirt floors, good body condition, and no bedding, respectively.Conclusion:Overall, some calf comfort aspects were covered for the majority of calves examined, but 69% of the pens were categorized as dirty, especially those with wooden or concrete floors and poor bedding management. Smallholder dairy farmers in Kenya should be trained on calf housing management to improve calf comfort and productivity.

Housing and Health Care Management Practices Followed by Gir Cattle Owners for Conservation of Gir Cattle in Ajmer District of Rajasthan

Housing and Health Care Management Practices Followed by Gir Cattle Owners for Conservation of Gir Cattle in Ajmer District of Rajasthan

Housing and Health Care Management Practices of Dairy Farmers in Urban and Peri-urban areas of Telangana

Housing and Health Care Management Practices of Dairy Farmers in Urban and Peri-urban areas of Telangana