Assessment of welfare indicators in grazing dairy cows in Northeast Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2020v41n6Supl2p3225Keywords:
Qualitative behavior assessment, Body hygiene, Animal health.Abstract
The welfare of dairy cows is a major global concern, due to its impact on cow health and productivity, as well as public health. The aim of this study was to identify the main problems related to welfare in dairy herds managed on pasture in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. For this investigation, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 dairy farms in the municipalities of Areia, Alagoa Grande, Serraria, and Pilões, Paraíba, Brazil. Each farm was visited only once, recording the number of cows in the herd, type and number of milkings per day, daily milk yield, and access time to the pasture. Body condition score, cleanliness score, bodily injuries, and qualitative behavioral assessment (QBA) were measured. A total of 335 dairy cows were evaluated; herds ranged from 14 to 43 lactating cows, with an average milk yield of 8.4 ± 3.25 kg day-1. Of the 335 cows observed, 26% had a low body condition score, 82% had bodily injuries, and 20% had dirt on their legs. For the QBA, a principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that PC1 had a high correlation mainly with positive body expressions (e.g., sociable, active, and happy), and PC2 was associated with negative terms of body expression (e.g., apathetic, frustrated, and fearful). In conclusion, evaluating indicators of cows’ body condition, bodily injury, and cleanliness highlighted the importance of promoting improvements in pasture, management, and housing conditions to enable better performance, health, and welfare of the animals.References
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Bran, J. A., Daros, R. R., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., LeBlanc, S. J., & Hötzel, M. J. (2018). Cow- and herd-level factors associated with lameness in small-scale grazing dairy herds in Brazil. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 151(1), 79-86. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2018.01.006
Broom, D. M., & Fraser, A. F. (2010). Domestic animal behavior and welfare. Cambridge: CABI Publishing.
Bruijnis, M. R. N., Hogeveen, H., & Stassen, E. N. (2013). Measures to improve dairy cow foot health: consequences for farmer income and dairy cow welfare. Animal, 7(1), 167-175. doi: 10.1017/S175173 1112001383
Burow, E., Thomsen, P. T., Rousing, T., & Sørensen. J. T. (2013). Daily grazing time as a risk factor for alterations at the hock joint integument in dairy cows. Animal, 7(1), 160-166. doi: 10.1017/S17517311 12001395
Burow, E., Thomsen, P. T., Rousing, T., & Sorensen, J. T. (2014). Track way distance and cover as risk factors for lameness in Danish dairy cows. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 113(4), 625-628. doi: 10. 1016/j.prevetmed.2013.11.018
Cardoso, C. S., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., & Hötzel, M. J. (2017). Brazilian citizens: expectations regarding dairy cattle welfare and awareness of contentious practices. Animals, 7(12), 89. doi: 10.3390/ani71200 89
Chapinal, N., Barrientos, A. K., Von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Galo, E., & Weary, D. M. (2013). Herd-level risk factors for lameness in freestall farms in the northeastern United States and California. Journal of Dairy Science, 96(1), 318-328. doi: 10.3168/jds.2012-5940
Cook, N. B., Hess, J. P., Foy, M. R., Bennett, T. B., & Brotzman, R. L. (2016). Management characteristics, lameness, and body injuries of dairy cattle housed in high-performance dairy herds in Wisconsin. Journal of Dairy Science, 99(7), 5879-5891. doi: 10.3168/jds.2016-10956
Costa, J. H. C., Burnett, T. A., von Keyserlingk, M. A., & Hötzel, M. J. (2018). Prevalence of lameness and leg lesions of lactating dairy cows housed in southern Brazil: effects of housing systems. Journal of Dairy Science, 101(3), 2395-2405. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-13462
Cresswell, E., Remnant, J. G., Butterworth, A., & Wapenaar, W. (2016). Injection-site lesion prevalence and potential risk factors in UK beef cattle. Veterinary Record, 180(3), 70. doi: 10.1136/vr.103778
Ellis, K. A., Innocent, G. T., Mihm, M., Cripps, P., McLean, W. G., Howard, C. V., & Grove-White, D. (2007). Dairy cow cleanliness and milk quality on organic and conventional farms in the UK. Journal of Dairy Research, 74(3), 302-310. doi: 10.1017/S002202990700249X
Fleming, P. A., Clarke, T., Wickham, S. L., Stockman, C. A., Barnes, A. L., Collins, T., & Miller, D. W. (2016). The contribution of qualitative behavioural assessment to appraisal of livestock welfare. Animal Production Science, 56(10), 1569-1578. doi: 10.1071/AN15101
Garcia, P. R. (2013). Sistema de avaliação do bem-estar animal para propriedades leiteiras com sistema de pastejo. Dissertação de mestrado, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brasil.
Hogan, J. P., & Phillips, C. J. (2008). Nutrition and the welfare of ruminants. Annual Review of Biomedical Sciences, 10(1), 33-50. doi: 10.5016/1806-8774.2008.v10pT33
Hughes, J. (2001). A system for assessing cow cleanliness. In Practice, 23(9), 517-524. doi: 10.1136/inpract. 23.9.517
Kivling, S. (2012). Effect of grazing and housing system on dairy cows´ hygiene, claw and leg health. Master's thesis. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ultuna, Uppsala, Suécia.
Matthews, L. R., Cameron, C., Sheahan, A. J., Kolver, E. S., & Roche, J. R. (2012). Associations among dairy cow body condition and welfare-associated behavioral traits. Journal of Dairy Science, 95(5), 2595-2601. doi: 10.3168/jds.2011-4889
Mellor, D. J. (2016). Moving beyond the “five freedoms” by updating the “five provisions” and introducing aligned “animal welfare aims”. Animals, 6(10), 59. doi: 10.3390/ani6100059
Popescu, S., Borda, C., Sandru, C. D., Stefan, R., & Lazar, E. (2010). The welfare assessment of tied dairy cows in 52 small farms in North-Eastern Transylvania using animal-based measurements. Slovenian Veterinary Research, 47(3), 77-82.
R Core Team (2018). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Retrieved from https://www.R-project.org/
Ranjbar, S., Rabiee, A. R., Gunn, A., & House, J. K. (2016). Identifying risk factors associated with lameness in pasture-based dairy herds. Journal of Dairy Science, 99(9), 7495-7505. doi: 10.3168/jds. 2016-11142
Rousing, T., & Wemelsfelder, F. (2006). Qualitative assessment of social behaviour of dairy cows housed in loose housing systems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 101(1-2), 40-53. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim. 2005.12.009
Rushen, J., Haley, D., & De Passillé, A. M. (2007). Effect of softer flooring in tie stalls on resting behavior and leg injuries of lactating cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 90(8), 3647-3651. doi: 10.3168/jds.2006-463
Sadiq, M. B., Ramanoon, S., Shaik Mossadeq, W., Mansor, R., & Syed-Hussain, S. (2017). Association between lameness and indicators of dairy cow welfare based on locomotion scoring, body and hock condition, leg hygiene and lying behavior. Animals, 7(12), 79. doi: 10.3390/ani711007
Sant’Anna, A. C., & Paranhos da Costa, M. J. R. (2011). The relationship between dairy cow hygiene and somatic cell count in milk. Journal of Dairy Science, 94(8), 3835-3844. doi: 10.3168/jds.2010-3951
Santos, S. G. C. G., Amorim, M. L. C. M., Almeida, M. E. V., Fidelis, S. S., Fonseca, V. F. C., & Saraiva, E. P. (2017). Prevalência de injúrias no jarrete de vacas leiteiras em fazendas na Mesorregião do Agreste da Paraíba, Brasil: um estudo de caso. Anais do Congressso Brasileiro de Biometeorologia, Ambiência, Comportamento e Bem-estar Animl, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brasil, 7.
Stockman, C. A., Collins, T., Barnes, A. L., Miller, D., Wickham, S. L., Beatty, D. T., & Fleming, P. A. (2011). Qualitative behavioural assessment and quantitative physiological measurement of cattle naïve and habituated to road transport. Animal Production Science, 51(3), 240-249. doi: 10.1071/AN10122
Strydom, S., Agenäs, S., Heath, M. F., Phillips, C. J. C., Rautenbach, G. H., & Thompson, P. N. (2008). Evaluation of biochemical and ultrasonographic measurements as indicators of undernutrition in cattle. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 75(3), 207-213. doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v75i3.96
Vilela, D., Resende, J. C. D., Leite, J. B., & Alves, E. (2017). A evolução do leite no Brasil em cinco décadas. Revista de Política Agrícola, 26(1), 5-24.
Wagner, K., Brinkmann, J., March, S., Hinterstoißer, P., Warnecke, S., Schüler, M., & Paulsen, H. M. (2018). Impact of daily grazing time on dairy cow welfare—results of the welfare quality® protocol. Animals, 8(1), 1. doi: 10.3390/ani8010001
Welfare Quality® (2009). Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for cattle. Lelystad, Netherlands: Welfare Quality® Consortium.
Whay, H. R., Main, D. C. J., Green, L. E., & Webster, A. J. F. (2003). Assessment of the welfare of dairy caftle using animal-based measurements: direct observations and investigation of farm records. Veterinary Record, 153(7), 197-202. doi: 10.1136/vr.153.7.197
Zaffino Heyerhoff, J. C., LeBlanc, S. J., DeVries, T. J., Nash, C. G. R., Gibbons, J., Orsel, K.,… Haley, D. B. (2014). Prevalence of and factors associated with hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cows in freestall housing in Canada. Journal of Dairy Science, 97(1), 173-184. doi: 10.3168/jds.2012-6367
Zoccal, R., Alves, E. R., & Gasques, J. G. (2011). Estudo preliminar. contribuição para o plano pecuário. Brasília-DF: Diagnóstico da Pecuária de Leite Nacional - EMBRAPA Gado de Leite.
Bran, J. A., Daros, R. R., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., LeBlanc, S. J., & Hötzel, M. J. (2018). Cow- and herd-level factors associated with lameness in small-scale grazing dairy herds in Brazil. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 151(1), 79-86. doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2018.01.006
Broom, D. M., & Fraser, A. F. (2010). Domestic animal behavior and welfare. Cambridge: CABI Publishing.
Bruijnis, M. R. N., Hogeveen, H., & Stassen, E. N. (2013). Measures to improve dairy cow foot health: consequences for farmer income and dairy cow welfare. Animal, 7(1), 167-175. doi: 10.1017/S175173 1112001383
Burow, E., Thomsen, P. T., Rousing, T., & Sørensen. J. T. (2013). Daily grazing time as a risk factor for alterations at the hock joint integument in dairy cows. Animal, 7(1), 160-166. doi: 10.1017/S17517311 12001395
Burow, E., Thomsen, P. T., Rousing, T., & Sorensen, J. T. (2014). Track way distance and cover as risk factors for lameness in Danish dairy cows. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 113(4), 625-628. doi: 10. 1016/j.prevetmed.2013.11.018
Cardoso, C. S., von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., & Hötzel, M. J. (2017). Brazilian citizens: expectations regarding dairy cattle welfare and awareness of contentious practices. Animals, 7(12), 89. doi: 10.3390/ani71200 89
Chapinal, N., Barrientos, A. K., Von Keyserlingk, M. A. G., Galo, E., & Weary, D. M. (2013). Herd-level risk factors for lameness in freestall farms in the northeastern United States and California. Journal of Dairy Science, 96(1), 318-328. doi: 10.3168/jds.2012-5940
Cook, N. B., Hess, J. P., Foy, M. R., Bennett, T. B., & Brotzman, R. L. (2016). Management characteristics, lameness, and body injuries of dairy cattle housed in high-performance dairy herds in Wisconsin. Journal of Dairy Science, 99(7), 5879-5891. doi: 10.3168/jds.2016-10956
Costa, J. H. C., Burnett, T. A., von Keyserlingk, M. A., & Hötzel, M. J. (2018). Prevalence of lameness and leg lesions of lactating dairy cows housed in southern Brazil: effects of housing systems. Journal of Dairy Science, 101(3), 2395-2405. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-13462
Cresswell, E., Remnant, J. G., Butterworth, A., & Wapenaar, W. (2016). Injection-site lesion prevalence and potential risk factors in UK beef cattle. Veterinary Record, 180(3), 70. doi: 10.1136/vr.103778
Ellis, K. A., Innocent, G. T., Mihm, M., Cripps, P., McLean, W. G., Howard, C. V., & Grove-White, D. (2007). Dairy cow cleanliness and milk quality on organic and conventional farms in the UK. Journal of Dairy Research, 74(3), 302-310. doi: 10.1017/S002202990700249X
Fleming, P. A., Clarke, T., Wickham, S. L., Stockman, C. A., Barnes, A. L., Collins, T., & Miller, D. W. (2016). The contribution of qualitative behavioural assessment to appraisal of livestock welfare. Animal Production Science, 56(10), 1569-1578. doi: 10.1071/AN15101
Garcia, P. R. (2013). Sistema de avaliação do bem-estar animal para propriedades leiteiras com sistema de pastejo. Dissertação de mestrado, Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, SP, Brasil.
Hogan, J. P., & Phillips, C. J. (2008). Nutrition and the welfare of ruminants. Annual Review of Biomedical Sciences, 10(1), 33-50. doi: 10.5016/1806-8774.2008.v10pT33
Hughes, J. (2001). A system for assessing cow cleanliness. In Practice, 23(9), 517-524. doi: 10.1136/inpract. 23.9.517
Kivling, S. (2012). Effect of grazing and housing system on dairy cows´ hygiene, claw and leg health. Master's thesis. Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ultuna, Uppsala, Suécia.
Matthews, L. R., Cameron, C., Sheahan, A. J., Kolver, E. S., & Roche, J. R. (2012). Associations among dairy cow body condition and welfare-associated behavioral traits. Journal of Dairy Science, 95(5), 2595-2601. doi: 10.3168/jds.2011-4889
Mellor, D. J. (2016). Moving beyond the “five freedoms” by updating the “five provisions” and introducing aligned “animal welfare aims”. Animals, 6(10), 59. doi: 10.3390/ani6100059
Popescu, S., Borda, C., Sandru, C. D., Stefan, R., & Lazar, E. (2010). The welfare assessment of tied dairy cows in 52 small farms in North-Eastern Transylvania using animal-based measurements. Slovenian Veterinary Research, 47(3), 77-82.
R Core Team (2018). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Retrieved from https://www.R-project.org/
Ranjbar, S., Rabiee, A. R., Gunn, A., & House, J. K. (2016). Identifying risk factors associated with lameness in pasture-based dairy herds. Journal of Dairy Science, 99(9), 7495-7505. doi: 10.3168/jds. 2016-11142
Rousing, T., & Wemelsfelder, F. (2006). Qualitative assessment of social behaviour of dairy cows housed in loose housing systems. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 101(1-2), 40-53. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim. 2005.12.009
Rushen, J., Haley, D., & De Passillé, A. M. (2007). Effect of softer flooring in tie stalls on resting behavior and leg injuries of lactating cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 90(8), 3647-3651. doi: 10.3168/jds.2006-463
Sadiq, M. B., Ramanoon, S., Shaik Mossadeq, W., Mansor, R., & Syed-Hussain, S. (2017). Association between lameness and indicators of dairy cow welfare based on locomotion scoring, body and hock condition, leg hygiene and lying behavior. Animals, 7(12), 79. doi: 10.3390/ani711007
Sant’Anna, A. C., & Paranhos da Costa, M. J. R. (2011). The relationship between dairy cow hygiene and somatic cell count in milk. Journal of Dairy Science, 94(8), 3835-3844. doi: 10.3168/jds.2010-3951
Santos, S. G. C. G., Amorim, M. L. C. M., Almeida, M. E. V., Fidelis, S. S., Fonseca, V. F. C., & Saraiva, E. P. (2017). Prevalência de injúrias no jarrete de vacas leiteiras em fazendas na Mesorregião do Agreste da Paraíba, Brasil: um estudo de caso. Anais do Congressso Brasileiro de Biometeorologia, Ambiência, Comportamento e Bem-estar Animl, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, Brasil, 7.
Stockman, C. A., Collins, T., Barnes, A. L., Miller, D., Wickham, S. L., Beatty, D. T., & Fleming, P. A. (2011). Qualitative behavioural assessment and quantitative physiological measurement of cattle naïve and habituated to road transport. Animal Production Science, 51(3), 240-249. doi: 10.1071/AN10122
Strydom, S., Agenäs, S., Heath, M. F., Phillips, C. J. C., Rautenbach, G. H., & Thompson, P. N. (2008). Evaluation of biochemical and ultrasonographic measurements as indicators of undernutrition in cattle. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research, 75(3), 207-213. doi: 10.4102/ojvr.v75i3.96
Vilela, D., Resende, J. C. D., Leite, J. B., & Alves, E. (2017). A evolução do leite no Brasil em cinco décadas. Revista de Política Agrícola, 26(1), 5-24.
Wagner, K., Brinkmann, J., March, S., Hinterstoißer, P., Warnecke, S., Schüler, M., & Paulsen, H. M. (2018). Impact of daily grazing time on dairy cow welfare—results of the welfare quality® protocol. Animals, 8(1), 1. doi: 10.3390/ani8010001
Welfare Quality® (2009). Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for cattle. Lelystad, Netherlands: Welfare Quality® Consortium.
Whay, H. R., Main, D. C. J., Green, L. E., & Webster, A. J. F. (2003). Assessment of the welfare of dairy caftle using animal-based measurements: direct observations and investigation of farm records. Veterinary Record, 153(7), 197-202. doi: 10.1136/vr.153.7.197
Zaffino Heyerhoff, J. C., LeBlanc, S. J., DeVries, T. J., Nash, C. G. R., Gibbons, J., Orsel, K.,… Haley, D. B. (2014). Prevalence of and factors associated with hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cows in freestall housing in Canada. Journal of Dairy Science, 97(1), 173-184. doi: 10.3168/jds.2012-6367
Zoccal, R., Alves, E. R., & Gasques, J. G. (2011). Estudo preliminar. contribuição para o plano pecuário. Brasília-DF: Diagnóstico da Pecuária de Leite Nacional - EMBRAPA Gado de Leite.
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2020-11-06
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Santos, S. G. C. G. dos, Saraiva, E. P., Fonseca, V. de F. C., Saraiva, C. A. S., Gonzaga Neto, S., Fidelis, S. da S., … Santos, J. D. C. dos. (2020). Assessment of welfare indicators in grazing dairy cows in Northeast Brazil. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 41(6Supl2), 3225–3236. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2020v41n6Supl2p3225
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