Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
B. Foris, L. G. Mangilli, J. M. C. Van Os, M. A. G. von Keyserlingk, J. A. Fregonesi, D. M. Weary
Summary: Cows sometimes defecate while lying down, especially when early in gestation or spending more time lying. Overstocking leads to higher stall use and displacement but does not increase defecating while recumbent frequency.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
V Boyer, E. Vasseur
Summary: The design of stall-based housing systems affects the welfare of dairy cows by influencing their ability to rest and move comfortably. The length of the chain and width of the stall are important factors in modulating cow comfort and injury prevalence. Current industry recommendations are not consistently followed in commercial farms, but compliance seems to have improved in the last decade.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Annabelle Beaver, Emma Strazhnik, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, Daniel M. Weary
Summary: The study found that cows prefer lying in more open spaces, but traditional stalls can improve cow hygiene. Flexible partitions can enhance cleanliness while also improving comfort.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
V Boyer, E. Edwards, M. F. Guiso, S. Adam, P. Krawczel, A. M. de Passille, E. Vasseur
Summary: This study compared the effects of different width tiestalls on the lying behavior of lactating dairy cows, finding that cows in double stalls extended their hindlimbs more, intruded neighboring stalls less, and positioned their hindlimbs inside their own stall more often. Double stalls also reduced the frequency of contact with stall hardware.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mousaab Alrhmoun, Thomas Zanon, Ioanna Poulopoulou, Katja Katzenberger, Matthias Gauly
Summary: The objective of this study was to determine the risk factors for skin alterations in dairy farms with different housing systems. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 204 farms in South Tyrol, Northern Italy, and logistic regression models were used to identify the risk factors for neck and leg skin alterations. The study found that tie stalls had a higher prevalence of skin lesions on the neck and hock, while soft-based stall mattresses and certain bedding materials reduced the prevalence of skin alterations. Access to pasture also reduced the prevalence of skin alterations regardless of the housing system.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
A. M. Wilson, T. C. Wright, J. P. Cant, V. R. Osborne
Summary: This study assessed the impact of a novel free-stall design on dairy cows. The results showed that the novel stalls improved stall use compared to standard stalls, but cleanliness still needs further improvement.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Y. Gomez, M. Cockburn, A-K Hankele, L. Gygax, M. Zaehner, E. Hillmann, P. Savary
Summary: Milking stall dimensions have an impact on cow comfort and milk yield, but do not significantly affect other behaviors, physiological parameters, and udder health.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Marek Gaworski
Summary: In barns with milking parlors, it was observed that a greater number of cows were lying down when the exit gates opened, especially before morning milking. More cows were found lying on stalls with a lower level of sand compared to those with a higher level. The study suggests that these findings can serve as an inspiration to identify solutions that reduce the forced standing up of cows, including the use of voluntary milking systems.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Liliana Fadul-Pacheco, Michael Liou, Douglas J. Reinemann, Victor E. Cabrera
Summary: Cows are social animals and understanding their social dynamics through social network analysis can help improve management and welfare. This study identified affinity pairs of cows that showed increased stress when separated, leading to higher milk production variability. The results suggest that social network analysis could be a useful tool for reducing milk yield variation and understanding the social dynamics of dairy cows.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
J. Upton, M. Browne, P. Silva Bolona
Summary: Automatic cluster removers (ACR) detach the milking unit from the udder once the milk flow has decreased to a predefined level. Increasing the flow rate switch-point is effective in reducing milking duration without impacting milk yield or somatic cell count. This study aimed to measure the effect of different flow rate switch-points on cow comfort, milking duration, and milk yield.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
E. Shepley, E. Vasseur
Summary: Intensification within the dairy industry has led to more restrictive indoor housing systems being used, while the pasture-based housing systems are less common. Providing more movement opportunities can improve cow comfort and leg health, with different housing and management practices affecting cow health and comfort.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
V Boyer, A. M. de Passille, S. Adam, E. Vasseur
Summary: The study aimed to investigate the impact of increasing tie chain length on cow movement opportunities and behaviors. Results suggest that increasing the chain length improves cows' ease of movement and transitions.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
E. N. Kariuki, J. A. Vanleeuwen, G. K. Gitau, L. C. Heider, S. L. McKenna, D. W. Muasya
Summary: Smallholder dairy farmers in developing countries often lack understanding of cow comfort. An intervention study with 124 cows on 114 Kenyan smallholder farms showed that providing farm-specific recommendations significantly improved cow comfort.
RESEARCH IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Romain Lardy, Alice de Boyer des Roches, Jacques Capdeville, Renaud Bastien, Luc Mounier, Isabelle Veissier
Summary: Maladjusted cubicles for dairy cattle may lead to skin alterations, lameness, and dirtiness in cows. This study aimed to refine and complete recommendations for cubicle design by analyzing the association between cubicle properties and dimensions relative to cow size, and the prevalence of skin alterations, lameness, and dirtiness. The risk factors identified should be further validated and used to update the International Commission of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering recommendations.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
J. O. Giordano, E. M. Sitko, C. Rial, M. M. Perez, G. E. Granados
Summary: As dairy cattle reproductive efficiency improves, targeted reproductive management approaches are being explored to enhance herd performance and profitability. These approaches involve identifying subgroups of cows based on various biological and performance data, and implementing tailored reproductive management strategies. Despite the need for further work before widespread implementation, there is promising research evidence supporting the development of these strategies.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Christine L. Sumner, Naseeb Bolduc, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: The aim of this study was to explore how focus groups can promote learning about dairy calf welfare issues among cattle veterinarians. The study identified three main themes for facilitating animal welfare learning: defining a shared concept of animal welfare from the veterinary perspective to diagnose the problem, understanding the problems of calf welfare by self-examination and group reflection, and negotiating the best approach to address the problems through sharing of ideas on improving calf welfare.
Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Joseph Krahn, Borbala Foris, Daniel M. Weary, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: This article summarizes the research on social behavior and dominance in dairy cattle. It was found that cows establish and reinforce dominance relationships through agonistic interactions. The article also criticizes the lack of standardization in past research methods and proposes more standardized approaches to measuring dominance. Finally, the article discusses future research directions and practical applications of dominance in managing dairy cattle.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Jillian Hendricks, Steven Roche, Kathryn L. Proudfoot, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: The transport regulations in Canada have recently undergone changes that have affected the livestock transport industry, particularly in the Atlantic region. A study conducted in Atlantic Canada revealed that livestock haulers were concerned about both animal welfare during transport and the feasibility of complying with the new regulations.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kehan Sheng, Borbala Foris, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, John Gardenier, Cameron Clark, Daniel M. Weary
Summary: Lameness assessments are usually not conducted frequently on dairy farms, resulting in underestimation of lameness prevalence. A remote comparative assessment method was developed and tested, which involved nonexperienced workers watching videos of cows walking and determining which cow was more lame and by how much. This method provides a fast and cost-effective way to assess lameness and can be useful for large-scale data collection.
JOURNAL OF DAIRY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Thomas Ede, Raphaela E. Woodroffe, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, Daniel M. Weary
Summary: The study aimed to investigate whether calves followed the 'peak-end' rule in their memory of a painful procedure (disbudding). Conditioned place aversion and reflex pain behaviors were used as proxies for retrospective and 'real-time' reports of pain. The results did not support the existence of a peak-end effect in calves' memory of pain.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Borbala Foris, Negar Sadrzadeh, Joseph Krahn, Daniel M. Weary, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: Indoor housed dairy cows are highly motivated to scratch themselves using mechanical brushes. Many farms provide brushes to cows, yet no commercial brushes to date capture how the brushes are used by the cows in the pen. We developed an automated brush and tested how much cows use it at four different group sizes (60, 48, 36, and 24 cows) and with different brush locations in the pen. We found that cows used the brush for longer when it was close to the feed and water and when they were housed in smaller groups.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Becca Franks, Leigh P. P. Gaffney, Courtney Graham, Daniel M. M. Weary
Summary: This study investigates curiosity in zebrafish and finds that they show novelty-seeking behavior and sustained interest in some objects, but habituation occurs over time. Additionally, specific objects also affect the social behavior of fish.
FRONTIERS IN VETERINARY SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Maria Chen, Huipin Lee, Yuchen Lin, Dan Weary
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Catherine A. Schuppli, Jeffrey M. Spooner, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: This study investigated the perspectives of Canadian dairy farmers on animal welfare and found that farmers place importance on both the biological functioning and emotional well-being of their animals. They believe that caring for animals involves more than just milking cows and making a profit, and they value the natural living and life of their animals. These shared values could contribute to constructive dialogue.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Michael W. Brunt, Daniel M. Weary
Summary: This study analyzed the perceptions of laboratory animal veterinarians from different universities on institutional transparency. It found that many veterinarians do not perceive transparency as a priority and proposed a plan to increase transparency by involving multiple universities.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Christine Kuo, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: This study conducted interviews with dairy farmers and cattle haulers in British Columbia, Canada, to investigate the impact of new animal transport regulations on their practices when shipping and transporting dairy cows to slaughter. The participants recognized the importance of animal welfare during transport but described little change in shipping and transport practices due to the new regulations. Barriers to compliance with the regulations include low knowledge of, and mixed or negative attitudes towards the regulations, as well as a lack of communication along the transport chain and limited transport and slaughter infrastructure.
Correction
Biology
Benjamin Lecorps, Raphaela E. Woodroffe, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, Daniel M. Weary
Article
Biology
Benjamin Lecorps, Raphaela E. Woodroffe, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk, Daniel M. Weary
Summary: This study used a cognitive approach to investigate the impact of restricted feeding on the cognitive abilities of dairy calves. The results showed that reducing milk allowance impaired cognitive performance and disrupted the calves' capacity to re-learn.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Beth Ventura, Daniel M. Weary, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Summary: This study explored the perceptions of veterinarians and animal scientists on societal expectations for farm animal welfare. The findings revealed that the public is generally concerned about farm animal welfare and has specific concerns about certain farming practices. However, there is ambiguity among the participants regarding the role of the public in finding solutions, although they suggested that consumers should bear the costs of welfare improvements.