Loose Housing Research Articles

Effect of Individual, Group or ESF Housing in Pregnancy and Individual or Group Housing in Lactation on the Performance of Sows and Their Piglets

To evaluate different housing systems, 80 gilts were randomly allocated at puberty to four treatments: i) sow stall in gestation followed by farrowing crate (SC), ii) group housing with individual feeding in gestation followed by farrowing crate (GC), iii) ESF (Electronic Sow Feeding) system in gestation followed by farrowing crate (EC), and iv) ESF system followed by group farrowing pen (EG). The results showed that stalled sows had a longer interval between puberty and second estrus (p<0.001). The sows kept in the ESF system gained more body weight (p<0.01) and backfat (p<0.05) prior to service, and more backfat during gestation (p<0.05), but also had greater backfat losses in the subsequent lactation (p<0.01). Sows changing from loose housing to confinement at farrowing had longer gestation length (p<0.001 Total litter size did not differ significantly between gestation treatments, but the number of stillborn piglets was significantly higher in the SC treatment (p<0.01). After weaning, SC sows had the longest interval for rebreeding (p<0.001). Some EG sows came into heat before weaning, giving this treatment the shortest interval. These results indicate that gestation confinement in sow stalls had several detrimental effects on sow performance relative to group housing.

Relative importance of factors influencing the prevalence of lameness in Austrian cubicle loose-housed dairy cows

The development of lameness is influenced by a number of different factors (housing, management, human–animal relationship and animal-related parameters). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the complex interactions of these aspects and to search for the relative importance of single factors. In 80 dairy herds of Austrian Simmental cows housed in cubicle loose housing in Upper and Lower Austria, risk factors for lameness, selected from the four factor groups housing, management, human–animal relationship and animal-related variables, were investigated during one farm visit in the autumn and winter months. To assess their relative importance, a multivariable analysis (regression trees) was calculated. The most important risk factor for lameness was the lying surface: straw bedding of at least 2 cm thickness or cow-comfort mats were associated with a lower percentage of lame cows. In case of insufficient quality of the lying surface, the next important parameter identified was the position of the neck rail: a neck rail diagonal greater than 1.94 m was associated with a lower percentage of lame cows. By contrast, on farms with high-quality lying surfaces, lameness prevalence was lower when at least parts of the alleys were constructed with solid floor and not slatted. Further variables associated with a low prevalence of lameness were a longer time span between calving and separation of the calf from the dam, the existence of an outside run, a lower percentage of fat cows, a greater space allowance, more cubicles than animals and a lower kerb height. In addition, further management factors such as the way in which heifers are integrated into the herd or management decisions taking into account the cows’ welfare were related to less lameness. Human–animal relationship variables such as, for example, the behaviour and attitude of the stockpeople were explaining variables. In sum, important risk factors were found in all factor groups. Therefore it is necessary to optimise all those different aspects mentioned above to reduce the risk of lameness.

Udder health of cows changing from tie stalls or free stalls with conventional milking to free stalls with either conventional or automatic milking

Udder health and milk production were monitored in cows transferred from tie stalls or loose housing with conventional milking to loose housing with either automatic or conventional milking. Data were collected from 182 Finnish farms from September 1999 to February 2006. Data from the first year before and first year after the changes were compared. A total of 88 herds changed from conventional milking (CM herds) to automatic milking (AM herds), 29 of which were housed in tie stalls and 59 of which were housed in a loose housing barn before the change. Additionally, 94 CM herds milked in loose housing barns that had been housed in tie stalls before the change were included. Milk record data consisted of annual herd size, parity, breed, calving dates, test day data [date, milk yield, and cow somatic cell count (SCC)] and records for treatments of clinical mastitis. Calculations were made for energy-corrected milk yield and logarithmic SCC (logSCC), proportion of cows at risk that experienced an SCC >200,000 cells/mL for the first time (highSCC), and number of treatments of clinical mastitis within a herd. Cows in tie stalls had higher milk yield (28.5±0.29 vs. 26.5±0.46 kg/d) and a lower logSCC (4.86±0.01 vs. 4.95±0.02) than cows in loose housing barns before the change. After the change, CM herds had slightly better udder health than AM herds because the proportion of cows at risk for highSCC was larger in AM herds (3.3 vs. 2.1%). The change in milking and housing systems caused a decline of 0.8±0.25 kg/d per cow in energy-corrected milk yield, a slight increase in cow logSCC (from 4.88±0.01 to 4.93±0.01), and an increase of 0.6% in the proportion of cows having highSCC (from 2.5 to 3.1). The impact was clearer on herds that began automatic milking. Based on the results, the increase in bulk milk SCC of herds milked automatically in Finland was probably due to reduced separation of mastitic milk in AM herds.

High levels of grass pollen inside European dairy farms: a role for the allergy‐protective effects of environment?

There is evidence of an allergy protective effect in children raised on farm. It has been assumed that microbial exposure may confer this protection. However in farm, little attention has been given to the pollen level and to concomitant microbiological exposure, and indoor pollen concentrations have never been precisely quantified. The kinetics of pollen in dairy farms have been studied in a pilot study (n = 9), and exposure in a sub-sample of the ongoing European birth cohort PASTURE (n = 106). Measurements of viable microorganisms and pollen were performed in air samples. To identify factors that modulate the pollen concentration multivariate regression analyses were run. Indoor pollen (95% of Poaceae fragments and grains) were significantly higher in winter than in summer (P = 0.001) and ranged between 858 to 11 265 counts/m(3) during feeding in winter, thus exceeding typical outdoor levels during the pollen season. Geometric mean in French farms was significantly higher than in German and Swiss farms (7 534, 992 and 1 079 count/m(3), respectively). The presence of a ventilation system and loose housing systems significantly reduced indoor pollen levels. This pollen concentration rise after feeding was accompanied by an increase in fungal and actinomycetal levels, whereas the concentration of bacteria was not associated with feeding. Farmers and their children who attend cowsheds during the feeding sessions are exposed perennially to high pollen concentrations. It might be speculated that the combined permanent exposure to microbes from livestock and grass pollen may initiate tolerance in children living on a farm.

Loose housing of small goat groups: Influence of visual cover and elevated levels on feeding, resting and agonistic behaviour

Frequent social conflicts among goats due to their strict rank relationships can pose problems in loose housing of goats by negatively influencing feeding and resting times of low-ranking group members. In this study, we tested whether enrichment of loose-housing pens with structural elements providing visual cover (partitions, lying niches) and elevated levels (platforms) is effective in reducing agonistic interactions and interruptions in feeding and resting behaviour in small groups of goats. The study involved 8 groups of goats consisting of 8–9 non-lactating females that differed in grouping age and the presence of horns in a two-by-two factorial design. We compared the feeding, resting and agonistic behaviour the goats showed in pens to which they were well habituated (original situation) with the behaviour they performed in these pens after enriching them with additional structural elements providing visual cover and elevated levels (enriched situation). Finally, the arrangement of the pens was restored to the original situation (restored situation). In each group, the behaviour of two low-ranking, two medium-ranking and two high-ranking goats was continuously recorded by video. Using linear mixed-effects models, variables of goat behaviour were analysed with situation, rank, grouping age and presence of horns as fixed explanatory variables. With most of the outcome variables, the effects of the housing situation interacted with those of the rank and/or the presence of horns. From the original to the enriched situation, the feeding bouts were generally longer. Furthermore, from the original to the enriched situation, fewer feeding bouts of low- and medium-ranking goats were interrupted by displacements, and fewer of these bouts were interrupted by medium- and high-ranking goats to initiate agonistic interactions. In addition, fewer resting bouts were interrupted by displacements received, and in medium- and high-ranking goats, the risk of an interruption whilst resting due to initiating an agonistic interaction decreased from the original to the enriched situation. The outcome variables’ values in the restored situation hardly ever returned to the values of the original situation which is likely to indicate a carry-over effect of the enriched to the restored situation. In conclusion, our results show that enriching pens for small groups of goats with structural elements providing visual cover and elevated levels positively affects feeding, resting and agonistic behaviour.

Sole ulcers in Finnish dairy cattle

The Finnish Healthy Hooves project was set up to determine the frequency of, and risk factors for various hoof lesions in Finnish dairy herds. Data were collected in the years 2003 and 2004. A large dataset of over 74,000 cow-level observations recorded by hoof trimmers was merged with production data from the Finnish Agricultural Data Processing Centre Ltd. Ultimately, data from a single lactation from each of 16,792 cows in 703 herds were used for the analyses in this paper. Three-level hierarchical logistic models with hoof trimmer and farms (within hoof trimmer) as random effects were fit to data sets of tie stall (TS) and loose housing (LH) herds separately. The outcome of interest was the presence or absence of a sole ulcer in one or more legs of a cow during the lactation of interest.Cows examined once had a risk of sole ulcer 5.23% in tie stall herds and 7.58% in LH herds. As the number of examinations increased the odds of a diagnosis of sole ulcer increased substantially (2 and 3+ examinations had odds ratios (ORs) of 1.42 and 3.42 in TS herds and 2.77 and 6.89 in LH herds). Breed had a large effect on the risk of sole ulcer with Holsteins 2.89 times more likely to be affected than Ayrshires in TS herds and 2.94 times in LH herds. In TS herds, the presence of other hoof lesions such as haemorrhages (OR=2.97), heel-horn erosions (OR=2.10) and corkscrew claw (OR=2.83) increased the risk of a sole ulcer developing. In LH herds, only haemorrhages (OR=1.80) were a significant risk factor when parity was ≥2. In TS herds, use of mats (compared to hard flooring) significantly reduced the risk of sole ulcers (OR=0.49). The effect of parity on the risk of sole ulcer was greatest when parity ≥4 but this effect was only significant in tie stalls (OR=1.86).When analyses were restricted to cows with parity ≥2, similar results were obtained for the risk factors identified above. In addition, parity became highly significant in TS and LH (OR 2.31 and 2.23, respectively when parity was 4+). In TS herds, herd average milk production was significantly associated with a decrease risk of sole ulcer (OR=1.28 per 1000kg decrease) but there was no effect of production at the cow level (measured as deviation from the herd mean). No significant effects of production were observed in LH herds.

Forced traffic in automatic milking systems effectively reduces the need to get cows, but alters eating behavior and does not improve milk yield of dairy cattle

Eighty-five lactating Holstein dairy cows in loose housing conditions in 2 symmetrical pens, each containing 28 feeding places, 3 waterers, and 1 automatic milking system (AMS), were used to evaluate the effects of the traffic type imposed on lactating cows through an AMS on milking frequency, feeding behavior, and milk production. The study was a crossover design with 2 periods and 2 treatments. Each period lasted 3 mo, with 1 mo of adaptation within each period. All cows were fed a partial mixed ration twice daily and up to 3 kg/d of a concentrate during the visits to the AMS. Treatments consisted of allowing free traffic of cows throughout the pen or forcing cows to pass through the AMS to access the feed troughs (forced traffic). Individual eating behavior and feed consumption were continuously monitored throughout the study using a computerized system. Individual milk production was recorded at each milking, and milk composition was recorded monthly. In addition, the number of cows brought to the AMS was recorded. The number of daily meals was less, whereas meal duration and meal size were greater with forced traffic (6.6±0.3 meals/d, 20.4±0.65 min/meal, and 2.7±0.09 kg/meal, respectively) than with free traffic (10.1±0.3 meals/d, 15.7±0.65 min/meal, and 1.8±0.09 kg/meal, respectively). Total dry matter intake (21.1±0.5 and 20.4±0.58 kg/d, respectively) and milk production (29.8±0.79 and 30.9±0.79 kg/d, respectively) were similar in the 2 systems. The number of voluntary and total daily milkings was greater with forced traffic (2.4±0.04 and 2.5±0.06 milkings/d, respectively) than with free traffic (1.7±0.06 and 2.2±0.04 milkings/d, respectively). Forced traffic improved the number of voluntary milkings, but altered milk quality and eating behavior of dairy cattle.

Effects of cooling dry cows under heat load conditions on mammary gland enzymatic activity, intake of food and water, and performance during the dry period and after parturition

Effect of evaporative cooling of pregnant dairy cows under heat load conditions during the dry and close-up period, on mammary gland enzymatic activity and intake of food and water, BCS, and milk performance after calving were measured in two consequent experiments. In experiment 1, 18 dry cows held in tie-stalls in a closed aerated barn under heat load conditions were used to measure the effect of evaporative cooling on the respiratory rate and body temperature, individual intake of food and water, enzymes expression level in mammary gland and adipose tissues, and BCS changes until calving. In experiment 2, two groups of 36 dry cows each, held in a commercial loose housing barn, were used to measure the effects of evaporative cooling under heat load conditions on calves' birth weight, colostrum quality and quantity, BCS changes and milk yield during 90 DIM. The non cooled ( NC) cows responded to heat load by increasing their respiratory rate and daily water intake, while elevating their rectal temperature by 0.2–0.3 °C as compared with the cooled ( C) cows. The external relief of heat load by the C cows in both experiments was expressed in increasing their voluntary DMI during the dry period as compared with the NC group. In experiment 2 the calves' birth weight of C cows was higher, and their colostrum quality and quantity were improved as compared with the NC group. Cooling also improved significantly BCS gain during the last 21 days until parturition, accompanied with higher cell proliferation process (based on enzymes expression at mRNA level) in the mammary gland of the C cows. Consequently, a significant increase in milk production by 5.3%, protein yield by 5.1%, ECM yield by 4.2% and FCM yield by 4.5%, was demonstrated in the C cows during 90 DIM as compared with the NC group.

Microbial aetiology of acute clinical mastitis and agent-specific risk factors

A nation wide study on the microbial aetiology of cases of acute clinical mastitis in Swedish dairy cows was conducted with the aim to investigate changes in the microbial panorama compared to a previous study performed 1994–1995. Another aim was to investigate some agent-specific environmental and individual risk factors. Milk samples were collected from 987 udder quarter cases from 829 cows during six 2-month periods from May 2002 to April 2003, and data on risk factors and demography were collected at sampling by means of a questionnaire. In total, 1056 bacteriological diagnoses were made. The most frequently isolated bacterial species was Staphylococcus aureus constituting 21.3% of the diagnoses, followed by Escherichia coli (15.9%), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (15.6%), Streptococcus uberis (11.1%), coagulase-negative staphylococci (6.2%), Arcanobacterium pyogenes (6.1%) and Klebsiella spp. (4.2%). Samples with no growth or contamination constituted 10.6% and 4.5% of the diagnoses, respectively. A major shift in the panorama of udder pathogens was not observed compared to the survey in 1994–1995. Isolation of Klebsiella spp. was strongly associated with the use of sawdust as bedding material. On the other hand, using sawdust as bedding reduced the risk of isolating S. uberis relative to using straw or peat. The risk of isolating E. coli increased with increasing milk yield and was higher in loose housing systems than in tie stalls. Isolation of S. aureus was associated with tie stalls, and A. pyogenes with low yielding cows and teat lesions. S. dysgalactiae infections were also associated with teat lesions.

Energy intake and growth of weanling horses in a cold loose housing system

The demand for information relating to the nutrition of horses in a cold environment is increasing with the popularity of loose housing of horses. This study examined the energy intake and growth of 10 weanling horses from November to March (22 weeks) in a loose housing system (paddock and insulated sleeping hall with deep-litter bed). The horses were measured weekly for body condition and body weight, and the feeding was adjusted according to a horse’s body condition. Metabolizable energy (ME) intake was compared to Finnish (MTT 2006) and Swedish (SLU 2004) nutrient requirements for 6–12-month-old horses. ME intake (75.5 ± 11.8 MJ d-1, mean ± SD) was on average 24.6% above the requirements. The intake varied in a non-linear fashion in the course of the winter: y = 0.086x2 – 0.902x + 71.5, where x is weeks from November to March (p

Effect of concentrate feeding strategy on the performance of dairy cows fed total mixed rations

Little information is available concerning the effects of offering additional concentrates with total mixed ration (TMR) on milk production. The aim of the present study was to compare TMR representing simplified feeding (TMR1) with TMR combined with a decreasing amount of additional concentrate (TMR2C). Finnish Ayrshire cows (39) were housed in a loose housing barn. TMR1 consisted of a mixed ration of grass silage (0.49) and concentrates (0.51). In TMR2C, the same grass silage and concentrate were mixed in a ratio of 55:45. In TMR2C, cows were offered additional concentrates from automatic feeders differing in composition from the concentrate in TMR1 [6.5 kg d-1 (first 100 days, Phase 1), 3.0 kg d-1 (subsequent 50 days, Phase 2) and no concentrate thereafter (Phase 3)]. During the whole experiment (224 days), total consumption of concentrates per cow averaged 2426 kg dry matter (TMR1) and 2414 kg dry matter (TMR2C). There were no significant differences in mean total dry matter, metabolizable energy, crude protein or absorbed amino acid intakes. During Phase 2, total intake of all cows fed TMR2C was one kg lower (P = 0.10) than for cows fed TMR1. This was due to differences in total feed intake of multiparous cows. Average yields (kg d-1) of milk, energy corrected milk, protein, fat and lactose were not significantly different between diets. During Phase 2, primiparous cows tended to produce more energy corrected milk on TMR2C than on TMR1. The results showed that both TMR1 and TMR2C were equal feeding strategies for early lactating cows and cows did not benefit from greater concentrate consumption in early stage of lactation when total consumption of concentrates was similar.;

The effect of keeping technology on the microbiological status of raw milk

The importance of the quality of raw milk increased after Hungary had joined to the EU. On delivery of raw milk, the microbiological quality, especially total plate count of the milk is very important. Twenty-two farms (7 large, 4 medium-sized, and 11 small farms) were included in the study. We considered the different farm size, keeping- and milking circumstances during the selection of farms. The examined large farms use loose housing system (cubicle, deep litter) and milking parlour. Most of them use preand post-milking disinfection. In the medium-sized farms, loose,deep litter and tie-stall housing system, as well as milking parlour, pipeline milking and bucket milking occurred. All of them use preand post-milking disinfection. Small farms use tie-stall housing system, bucket milking and udder preparation by water. Unfortunately, they do not use pre- or post-milking disinfection. In the large and medium-sized farms mainly Holstein Friesian, in the small farms Hungarian Simmental breeds can be found.The aim of our research was to examine the microbiological status of the raw milk produced in dairy farms (total plate count, coliform count, Escherichia coli count, Staphylococcus aureus count, psychrotroph bacteria count, furthermore yeast and mold count); sources of the contamination; connection between the microbiological quality of produced milk and housing-, milking technologies of farms; furthermore the hygienic circumstances of milking and milk handling of the farms, by the examination of coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli contamination.During the examination of the connection between the different farm sizes, various housing- and milking forms and the microbiological characteristics we observed similar tendencies in the case of total plate count, coliform count, yeast and molds count, furthermore psychrotroph bacteria count. The value of these parameters was significantly higher in small farms, and infarms which use tie-stall housing forms, bucket milking, udder preparation with water, and which do not use pre- and post-milking disinfection.The results showed that besides cooling, the milking procedure and the type of udder preparation had the largest effect on the total plate count. Statistical analysis shows that in medium and small farms the combination of pipeline milking – tie stall housing system – disinfectant preparation of the udder; in large farms the combination of milking parlour – loose cubicle housing system – dry preparation of the udder are the most appropriate in the aspect of the total plate count. We experienced that in farms where the hygienic instructions are not followed – and thereforeequipment used during the milking and handling of milk is very contaminated – or rather the separation of mastitic cows’ milk is not appropriate, different microorganisms may contaminate the produced milk.

Effects of Tethering and Loose Housing on the Meat Quality of Hanwoo Bulls

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of housing system on the carcass and meat qualities of Hanwoo (Korean cattle) bulls. Fourteen 6 months-old male calves were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was individually tethered using double neck-bar tethers. The second group was collectively loose-housed in the pen. They were raised for 15 months prior to slaughter. At 24 h post-slaughter chilling, the carcasses were weighed and evaluated by official grader for carcass traits. At 48 h post-slaughter chilling, the M. longissimus at the 12-13 th thoracic vertebra from each carcass was collected and stored at 4±0.2°C for 7 days for meat quality analysis. There were no significant differences in dressing percentage and carcass yield index between groups. Meat from loose bulls had lower marbling score (p<0.05) and fat content (p<0.01) but higher PUFA concentration (p<0.001) than that from tethered bulls. There were no significant differences physical and sensory properties, aroma pattern, TBARS value, metmyoglobin concentration and CIE color values during refrigerated storage between groups. Compared to tethering, loose-housing bulls produced lower fat content and healthier meat without different physical properties, acceptability, and lipid and color stabilities.

Loose housing of sows – is this good welfare?

In Denmark we have about 1.2 million sows that produce about 21 million pigs per year for slaughter or export. While the number of pigs produced for slaughter per year when Denmark entered the EU in 1972 was 11–12 it is now more than doubled [1]. Behind this development lie highly focussed efforts within breeding, housing and management. The goals have been achieved with particular attention to two factors – the reduction of used per pig and increase in production per man hour [1]. To illustrate this, a gestating in tethers – a much used housing system in the 1980'ies, but now phased out due to legislative demands – took only 52 min per year to care for, i.e. an average of only 9 seconds per day [2]. The incentive of using as little and as little time as possible, have lead to a number of welfare problems for sows, either directly or indirectly. One example is the use of mechanical slurry systems and extensive use of slatted floors that are difficult to combine with straw or other kinds of bedding and/or rooting materials, and that pigs do not like to walk or lie on. Through EU and national legislation it has been attempted to alleviate several of the welfare problems for pigs (e.g. [3,4]). But even within the framework of recent welfare regulations, many of the old problems continue to exist and a range of new challenges emerges, because the restraints of using as little and as little time as possible prevail. The very limited use of time per animal also in loose housing gestation systems is illustrated by reports of time use ranging between 0.14 – 0.38 min per sow space on weekdays and 0.06–0.15 min on weekend days [2,5], i.e. a few seconds per animal per day. A large amount of scientific knowledge of behaviour and welfare exists now, but the restraints of using very little time and very little make it very challenging to put the knowledge to good use. Many suggestions are bound to take a few seconds and utilise some cm2, which relatively speaking will increase use of and time greatly. The explanation of the continued emphasis on using very little and very little time per animal is of course the industry's desire to keep its high competition ability, which will become clear in other presentations at this meeting. The first example, I will present, where the incentive of using as little time and as little as possible is demonstrated very clearly is the predominant farrowing accommodation for sows in Denmark and other EU countries. In intensive pig production the use of the farrowing crate is almost exclusive, and real alternatives with loose housing are very difficult to get established in practise. Secondly, I will briefly present two of the loose housing systems for gestating sows that are now among the predominant ones in Danish pig production. Using the two systems as a starting point, I will then discuss some variants of the systems where welfare is very poor. These examples demonstrate how even in the better loose housing systems, there is a constant challenge of securing welfare due to the forces pulling in the direction of using as little and time per animal as possible.

Loose housing of sows – current systems

The pig producer is faced with many challenges when establishing new pig facilities today. Besides existing legislation, he must often take into consideration market requirements concerning contract production, neighbours and others and try to minimise the nuisances related to odour and transport of animals, etc. At the same time, the design of the housing facilities must be aimed at high health and productivity without compromising animal welfare and working environment.

Automatic blood sampling in dairy cows

Loose housing systems for dairy cows are becoming increasingly common, raising new questions in the area of animal health and welfare. Some of these questions can be addressed by studying the variation in blood parameters, such as glucocortistioids. However, the traditional manual blood sampling procedure can in itself affect the responses of the animal. To address this issue we have developed a device for automated collection of multiple blood samples. The device is placed on the back of the animal and allows the animal to be kept in all types of environments, either alone or in social groups. The animal can move freely: no restraints and no handling of the animal are necessary during blood sampling. Three experiments were conducted to study the performance of the system and how the blood sampling procedure affected the cortisol responses in dairy cows. In the first experiment the accuracy of sample size and timing were investigated. In the second experiment, automatic samples were collected from six cows kept in tie-stalls, with samples taken at 3-min intervals for 38 min. At 12, 24, 36 and 38 min, a manual sample was taken by vein puncture. None of the cows showed a consistently increased cortisol response to automatic sampling, while two cows showed increased cortisol concentration after vein puncture. In the third experiment automatic blood sampling was conducted with 12 cows kept in a loose housing system. In the morning, over a period of 1.5 h, 14 blood samples were taken at varying time intervals from each cow. In the afternoon, over a period of 2.5 h, a further 14 samples were taken. Cortisol concentrations in the blood samples suggest that the cows were not affected by the blood sampling procedure. On some occasions during these experiments, it was not possible to get a sample. For the manual vein puncture 3 out of 24 samples (12.5%) were not successfully taken within a time limit of 2 min. During the automatic blood sampling process, the catheter occasionally became twisted and blocked by the movement of the cow's head. This occurred in 8 out of 84 samples (9.5%). In four of the manual samples, considerable hemolysis had occurred during the sampling procedure. No hemolysis was observed in the automatic blood samples. Automated blood sampling offers the opportunity to collect a series of samples without disturbing the animal. Data suggest that automatic blood sampling is a superior alternative to manual blood sampling, even in a tie barn.

A brief note about cow lying behaviour—Do cows choose left and right lying side equally?

The factors influencing cows’ lying behaviour are not fully evaluated. Most studies dealing with lying behaviour were primarily aimed at comparing different designs for the resting area and floor surfaces, while only a few studies have investigated the cows’ preference of lying side. The aim of the present investigation was to test the hypothesis that cows choose equally between left and right lying-side. The study consisted of three experiments, where two were performed in a loose house system with automatic milking (AM) and only lactating cows participating, and the third was carried out on pasture. In the first and second study the herd consisted of 45–47 cows of the Swedish Red and White breed. The behaviour observations during the first study were made every 20 min in 18 periods of 4 h each. During the second study, cows were manually identified every 12 min during 4 periods of 48 h each. In the third study, observations were randomly performed during the day time for 59 days. In the study out on pasture at gestation month 9, the frequency of observations where cows were lying on the left side was significantly higher ( p < 0.012) than lying on the right side. In the two studies performed in the AM system the cows chose left and right laterality equally. No effect of age was seen on the choice of lying side. In the resting area, the cows lay with the ventral side against the activity area.

Behavioral Response of Pregnant Ewes to High Ambient Temperature in Loose Housing System

Abstract. In order to investigate the behavioral responses of pregnant ewes to high ambient temperature in a loose housing system , eighty-seven pregnant ewes (Chinese little fat-tailed sheep, Ovis aries) from the same loose house were chosen, and nine ewes with the similar body weight and age were marked for later individual behavioral observation. The ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded, and the individual behaviors of the pregnant ewes were observed continuously from 04:50 to 20:00 once every other day for 14 days. The behavioral state of all the pregnant ewes was recorded once every hour from 5:00 to 20:00, the number of pregnant ewes selecting specific lying areas (designated as area A and area B), was recorded at 15 minute intervals from 12:00 to 17:00 everyday. The final results show that the behavioral durations are significantly different in eating and drinking, rumination, rest, and locomotion for pregnant ewes ( P

Contamination of cow's raw milk by psychrotrophic and mesophilic microflora in relation to selected factors

The objective of the paper was to analyse the influence of dairy cow management technology, milking method, predipping and summer grazing on the contamination of cow’s raw milk by mesophilic (TBC), psychrotrophic (PBC), lipolytic (PLiBC) and proteolytic (PPrBC) bacteria. The values of TBC, PBC, PLiBC and PPrBC in bulk milk samples were determined by the culture method according to IDF standards. Investigations were carried out in nine stables of seven dairy farms from January 2005 to June 2006. Summer grazing has the most marked influence on the values of studied parameters. Farms with summer grazing had a lower microbial contamination of milk compared to farms without grazing and the difference was statistically highly significant in all studied parameters &lt;i&gt;(P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.001). A positive effect of predipping on a reduction in the values of milk microbial contamination was proved while the difference between farms with predipping and those without it was on a significance leve l&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05 to 0.001 except PLiBC. A comparison of the influence of dairy cow management technology indicated the lowest values of all microbiological indicators in loose cubicle littered housing, higher values were determined in stanchion littered housing and the highest in loose slatted-floor housing. A statistical difference between the technologies was proved mainly in TBC (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.001). Farms with milking in milking parlours had a lower microbial contamination of milk compared to farms that used the in-stall milking pipeline system but the difference was statistically significant only in TBC (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05).

Changes in skin and rectal temperature in lactating buffaloes provided with showers and wallowing during hot-dry season

Twelve Murrah buffaloes in second or third parity during early lactation (50-70 days) were selected from the Institute's herd. All the buffaloes were kept under loose housing system and were provided ad lib green maize fodder and water to drink during 30 days experiment during the month of August-September. The buffaloes were divided into two groups of six each. Showering group (SG) buffaloes were kept under water showers from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., while wallowing group (WG) buffaloes were allowed to wallow in a water pond during the same time. Physiological responses viz. rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR), pulse rate (PR) and skin temperature (ST) were recorded before (8.00 A.M.) and after (4.00 P.M.) showers or wallowing. Skin temperature at different sites i.e. trunk, forehead, udder, udder vein, and neck regions was measured. Skin and rectal temperature of both the groups were non significant in morning but varied (P < 0.01) in the evening. Skin temperature measured at all the sites was significantly lower (P < 0.01) in wallowing buffaloes than the showering group. Further, skin temperature of neck, head, udder, udder vein and RT varied (P < 0.01) in SG and WG buffaloes during periods of study. The significant changes in all the parameters of study further support the evidence on effective cooling of skin by wallowing in comparison to water showers. The correlation data indicated a positive correlation of maximum air temperature with RT in SG but correlation was non-significant in WG. RT was positively correlated with ST in SG (P < 0.05) and WG (P < 0.01). The pooled data analysis of both groups also indicated a positive correlation of maximum temperature with RT (P < 0.05). The morning respiration and pulse rate non-significantly varied in both group, however, in the evening, the respiration rate and pulse rate was more (P < 0.01) in SG in comparison to WG. No adverse effect of wallowing or shower treatment on mastitis incidence and general health of animals was observed.