Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-31T15:36:35.298Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of management system on mortality and other welfare indicators in Pennsylvania dairy herds

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

CD Dechow ,
EA Smith  and
RC Goodling
CD Dechow*
Affiliation:
Department of Dairy and Animal Science, 324 Henning Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
EA Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Dairy and Animal Science, 324 Henning Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA
RC Goodling
Affiliation:
Cooperative Extension, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The objective of this study was to identify farm characteristics that were associated with cow (Bos taurus) welfare outcomes, including mortality rate, culling by 60 days of lactation, survival to ≥ 6 years of age and ≥ 5th parity (aged cows), somatic cell score, milk yield, and milk composition. Data were collected on housing systems, feeding systems, pasture strategies, bedding type, labour management practices and other farm characteristics in face-to-face interviews with 314 Pennsylvania dairy herd owners where performance records were available. Five herd management systems were identified in the sample: free-stalls with complete confinement (n = 37); free-stalls that allowed outdoor access (n = 76); tie-stalls with complete confinement (n = 52); tie-stalls with outdoor access and that fed a total mixed ration (n = 72); and tie-stalls with outdoor access and that did not feed a total mixed ration (n = 77). Welfare outcomes were evaluated with multivariable linear regression models and marginal means were estimated for herd management system. Tie-stalls that allowed outdoor access and that did not feed total mixed rations had the lowest mortality rate (2.0%), culling in the first 60 days of lactation (5.1%), and the highest proportion of aged cows (13.8%). Those herds also had high lifetime-to-date milk yield, a low proportion of fat-protein inversions, and low somatic cell scores. Free-stalls with complete confinement had significantly higher levels of mortality (8.3%), culling in the first 60 days of lactation (9.7%), and fewer aged cows (6.4%). It was concluded that shifts toward more efficient herd management systems have not benefited cow health and welfare. This suggests that cow welfare has been compromised to facilitate the economic survival of dairy farms.

Keywords

animal welfarecullingdairy cattlehousingmanagementmortality
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , May 2011 , pp. 145 - 158
Copyright
© 2011 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

References

AIPL-USDA (Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory: United States Department of Agriculture) 2009 Genetic and Phenotypic Trends. http://www.aipl.arsusda.govGoogle Scholar
Albright, JL 1987 Dairy welfare: current and needed research. Journal of Dairy Science 70: 2711–2731CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bertenshaw, C and Rowlinson, P 2009 Exploring stock managers’ perceptions of the human-animal relationship on dairy farms and an association with milk production. Anthrozoos 22: 59–69CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertenshaw, C, Rowlinson, P, Edge, H, Douglas, S and Shiel, R 2008 The effect of different degrees of ‘positive’ human-animal interaction during rearing on the welfare and subsequent production of commercial dairy heifers. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 114: 65–75CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bramley, E, Lean, IJ, Fulkerson, WJ, Stevenson, MA, Rabiee, AR and Costa, ND 2008 The definition of acidosis in dairy herds predominantly fed on pasture and concentrates. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 308–321CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
California 2008 Official declaration of the vote results on November 4, 2008, state ballot measures. http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/sov/2008_general/6_official_results_on_statewide%20ballot_measures.pdfGoogle Scholar
Caraviello, DZ, Weigel, KA, Fricke, PM, Wiltbank, MC, Florent, MJ, Cook, NB, Nordlund, KV, Zwald, NR and Rawson, CL 2006 Survey of management practices on reproductive performance of dairy cattle on large US commercial farms. Journal of Dairy Science 89: 4723–4735CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cook, NB 2003 Prevalence of lameness among dairy cattle in Wisconsin as a function of housing type and stall surface. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 223: 1324–1328CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cramer, G, Lissemore, KD, Guard, CL, Leslie, KE and Kelton, DF 2008 Herd- and cow-level prevalence of foot lesions in Ontario dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 3888–3895CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dechow, CD and Goodling, RC 2008 Mortality, culling by sixty days in milk, and production profiles in high- and low-survival Pennsylvania herds. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 4630–4639CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
DeVries, TJ, Dohme, F and Beaucemin, KA 2008 Repeated ruminai acidosis challenges in lactating dairy cows at high and low risk for developing acidosis: feed sorting. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 3958–3967CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DRMS (Dairy Records Management Systems) 1997 DHIA-202 herd summary, fact sheet A-1. http://www.drms.org/PDF/materials/202fact1.pdfGoogle Scholar
ERS-USDA (Economic Research Service: United States Department of Agriculture) 2009 Food Market Indicators: Farm-to-Retail Price Spreads for Food. http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/FoodMarketIndicators/default.asp?TableSet=3Google Scholar
Faye, B and Pérochon, L 1995 La mortalité des vaches laitiéres dans l'enquête écopathologique Bretagne. Veterinary Research 26: 124–131. [Title translation: Mortality of dairy cows in an eco-pathological survey in Brittany]Google Scholar
Fetrow, J, Nordlund, KV and Norman, HD 2006 Invited review: culling: nomenclature, definitions, and recommendations. Journal of Dairy Science 89: 1896–1905CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fox, MW 1983 Animal welfare and the dairy industry. Journal of Dairy Science 66: 2221–2225CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fulwider, WK, Grandin, T, Garrick, DJ, Engle, TE, Lamm, WD, Dalsted, NL and Rollin, BE 2007 Influence of free-stall base on tarsal joint lesions and hygiene in dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science 90: 3559–3566CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hadley, GL, Wolf, CA and Harsh, SB 2006 Dairy cattle culling patterns, explanations, and implications. Journal of Dairy Science 89: 2286–2296CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hare, E, Norman, HD and Wright, JR 2006 Trends in calving ages and calving intervals for dairy cattle breeds in the United States. Journal of Dairy Science 89: 365–370CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heins, BJ, Hansen, LB and Seykora, AJ 2006 Fertility and survival of pure Holsteins versus crossbreds of Holstein with Normande, Montbeliarde, and Scandinavian Red. Journal of Dairy Science 89: 4944–4951CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heringstad, B, Klemetsdal, G and Steine, T 2007 Selection responses for disease resistance in two selection experiments with Norwegian Red cows. Journal of Dairy Science 90: 2419–2426CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krohn, CC 1994 Behaviour of dairy cows kept in extensive (loose housing/pasture) or intensive (tie stall) environments III. Grooming, exploration and abnormal behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 42: 73–86CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krohn, CC and Munksgaard, L 1993 Behaviour of dairy cows kept in extensive (loose housing/pasture) or intensive (tie stall) environments II. Lying and lying-down behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 37: 1–16CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McConnel, CS, Lombard, JE, Wagner, BA and Garry, FB 2008 Evaluation of factors associated with increased dairy cow mortality on United States dairy operations. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 1423–1432CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, RH, Kuhn, MT, Norman, HD and Wright, JR 2008 Death losses for lactating cows in herds enrolled in Dairy Herd Improvement test plans. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 3710–3715CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Miller, RH, Norman, HD, Kuhn, MT, Clay, JS and Hutchison, JL 2007 Voluntary waiting period and adoption of synchronized breeding in dairy herd improvement herds. Journal of Dairy Science 90: 1594–1606CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
NDAWBI (National Dairy Animal Well-Being Initiative) 2009 http://www.dairywellbeing.org/guidelines.phpGoogle Scholar
NAHMS I (National Animal Health Monitoring System Part I) 2007 Dairy 2007 Part I: Reference of Dairy Cattle Health and Management Practices in the United States, 2007. http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov/dairy/dairy07/Dairy2007_Part_I.pdfGoogle Scholar
NAHMS II (National Animal Health Monitoring System Part II) 2007 Dairy 2007 Part II: Changes in the US Dairy Cattle Industry, 1991-2007. http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov/dairy/dairy07/Dairy2007_Part11.pdfGoogle Scholar
Negussie, E, Strandén, I and Mäntysaari, EA 2008 Genetic association of clinical mastitis with test-day somatic cell score and milk yield during first lactation of Finnish Ayrshire cows. Journal of Dairy Science 91: 1189–1197CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nordlund, K, Cook, N and Oetzel, G 2006 Co-mingling dairy cows: pen moves, stocking density and health. Proceedings of the 39th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners pp 36–42. 20-24 September 2006, St Paul, MN, USAGoogle Scholar
Regula, G, Danuser, J, Spycher, B and Wecheler, B 2004 Health and welfare of dairy cows in different husbandry systems in Switzerland. Preventative Veterinary Medicine 66: 247–264CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rioja-Lang, FC, Roberts, DJ, Healy, SD, Lawrence, AB and Haskell, MJ 2009 Dairy cows trade-off feed quality with proximity to a dominant individual in Y-maze choice tests. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 117: 159–164CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rogers, GW, Banos, G and Sander-Nielsen, U 1999 Genetic correlations among protein yield, productive life, and type traits from the United States and diseases other than mastitis from Denmark and Sweden. Journal of Dairy Science 82: 1331–1338CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
SAS Institute 2000 SAS/STAT User's Guide. Version 8. SAS Institute Inc: Cary, NC, USAGoogle Scholar
Schutz, MM 1994 Genetic evaluation of somatic cell scores for United States dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 77: 2113–2129CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shook, GE 1989 Selection for disease resistance. Journal of Dairy Science 72: 1349–1362CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, JW, Ely, LO and Chapa, AM 2000 Effect of region, herd size, and milk production on reasons cows leave the herd. Journal of Dairy Science 83: 2980–2987CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sogstad, AM, Fjeldaas, T and Osteras, O 2005 Lameness and claw lesions of the Norwegian Red dairy cattle housed in free stalls in relation to environment, parity and state of lactation. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica 46: 203–217CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stone, WC 2004 Nutritional approaches to minimize subacute ruminal acidosis and laminitis in dairy cattle. Journal of Dairy Science 87: E13–E26CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomsen, PT and Houe, H 2006 Dairy cow mortality. A review. Veterinary Quarterly 28: 122–129CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomsen, PT, Kjeldsen, AM, Sørensen, JT and Houe, H 2004 Mortality (including euthanasia) among Danish dairy cows (1990-2001). Preventive Veterinary Medicine 62: 19–33CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thomsen, PT, Kjeldsen, AM, Sørensen, JT, Houe, H and Ersbøll, AK 2006 Herd-level risk factors for the mortality of cows in Danish dairy herds. The Veterinary Record 158: 622–626CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Vallimont, JE, Dechow, CD, Sattler, CG and Clay, JS 2009 Heritability estimates associated with alternative definitions of mastitis and correlations with somatic cell score and yield. Journal of Dairy Science 92: 3402–3410CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Weigel, KA, Palmer, RW and Caraviello, DZ 2003 Investigation of factors affecting voluntary and involuntary culling in expanding dairy herds in Wisconsin using survival analysis. Journal of Dairy Science 86: 1482–1486CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
White, SL, Benson, GA, Washburn, SP and Green, JT Jr 2002 Milk production and economic measures in confinement or pasture systems using seasonal calved Holstein and Jersey cows. Journal of Dairy Science 85: 95–104CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winckler, C, Capdeville, J, Gebresenbet, G, Horning, B, Roiha, U, Tosi, M and Waiblinger, S 2003 Selection of parameters for on-farm welfare-assessment protocols in cattle and buffalo. Animal Welfare 12: 619–624Google Scholar
Zwald, NR, Weigel, KA, Chang, YM, Welper, RD, and Clay, JS 2004 Genetic selection for health traits using producer-recorded data. II. Genetic correlations, disease probabilities, and relationships with existing traits. Journal of Dairy Science 87: 4295–4302CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed