Assessing Cows’ Welfare: weighing the Cow in a Milking Robot

Pastell, Matti; Takko, Heli; Gröhn, H.; Hautala, M.; Poikalainen, V.; Praks, Jaan; Veermäe, I.; Kujala, Minna; Ahokas, Jukka

doi:10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2005.09.009

Cited by 51 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…For example, König et al (2006) suggested that frequency of voluntary entry of dairy cows into an automatic milking system could be used to estimate breeding value for animal temperament. Whereas, Pastell et al (2006) concluded that measuring the load on each leg of a cow can be used to assess its milking behaviour, including milking temperament. Perhaps this method could be adapted to assess the behaviour of young heifers and bulls.…”

Section: Objectivity Of Methods For the Assessment Of Cattle Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 98%

Genetic analysis and evaluation of behavioural traits in cattle

et al. 2013

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Section: Objectivity Of Methods For the Assessment Of Cattle Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 98%

Genetic analysis and evaluation of behavioural traits in cattle

et al. 2013

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“…Outlier detection in this situation consists of 2 problems: first, defining which data are exceptionally distant from other values in a given data set and, second, finding an efficient algorithm to deal with such data (Han, 2006). The majority of WoLW studies in dairy cattle contain few details about the methodology used to detect and deal with outlying observations and simply refer to these observations as biologically implausible (Ren et al, 1992;Pastell et al, 2006;Kujala et al, 2008). A small number of studies have addressed the problem in detail.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Automatic recording of daily walkover liveweight of dairy cattle at pasture in the first 100 days in milk

Alawneh

Stevenson

Williamson

et al. 2011

Journal of Dairy Science

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Daily walkover liveweight (WoLW) records (n=79,697) from 463 pasture-fed dairy cows from a single dairy herd in the lower North Island of New Zealand were recorded over the first 100 d of lactation. The aims of this study were to (1) describe LW records retrieved by a standalone automatic Wo daily weighing system; (2) describe the frequency and nature of outlier LW records measured by the system and develop an approach for excluding identified outlier LW records; (3) quantify the agreement between cow LW measured using the Wo system and those measured statically; and (4) describe the autocorrelation between daily LW measurements to provide an indication of how frequently management decisions need to be reviewed to effectively monitor cow LW change in the early-lactation period. The standard deviation of daily LW measurements across parities was 17 kg, on average. A near perfect association between LW measured statically and WoLW (concordance correlation coefficient 0.99, 95% CI 0.99-1.0) was observed. After controlling for the effect of LW at calving and long-term LW change using a mixed-effects linear regression model, the autocorrelation between WoLW recorded on successive days was 0.21, decaying to zero by 8 d. This study shows that by using a standalone automatic Wo weighing system positioned in the exit race of a rotary milking parlor, it was possible to record LW of individual cows on a daily basis and, with controlled cow flow over the weighing platform (allowing for sufficient succession distance to prevent congestion), results were similar to those recorded using conventional, static weighing techniques using the same scales. Based on the autocorrelation analyses, we recommend that LW are recorded on a daily basis to allow changes in physiological status such as the onset of acute illness or estrus to be detected. For managerial purposes, such as using LW change as a guide for adjusting the herd feeding program, we recommend a 7-d decision interval to effectively monitor significant changes in cows' recorded daily LW measurements.

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“…2002a,b) or the weight cows place on each leg while standing (Neveux et al . 2006; Pastell et al . 2006; Rushen et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The increasing size of dairy herds has led to interest in more objective and automated methods of recording the gait of cows and detecting lameness. Force plate systems have been applied to measure ground reaction forces when cows are walking (Rajkondawar et al 2002a,b) or the weight cows place on each leg while standing (Neveux et al 2006;Pastell et al 2006;Rushen et al 2007). Using such a technique, van der Tol et al (2004) found that preventive trimming of hooves of the hind limbs brought claws slightly more in balance than in the untrimmed state.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of three-dimensional acceleration sensing to assess dairy cow gait and the effects of hoof trimming

Tanida

Koba

Rushen

et al. 2011

Animal Science Journal

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The aim of this study was to assess the use of three-dimensional acceleration sensing to describe the gait of dairy cows and the effect of hoof trimming. In Trial 1, a three-dimensional acceleration sensor was attached to the carpal region of a front leg of six Holstein cows who were then walked for 9 m. Results showed that measures of acceleration could clearly show the presence of steps, which were divided into an acceleration phase, which involved the hoof descending to and ascending from the ground, and a non-acceleration phase, which included the swing phase. Lissajous figures could succinctly depict the degree of acceleration for each cow and showed that one cow who was lame walked with greater vertical and lateral acceleration than the remaining cows. In Trial 2, 17 loose-housed Holstein cows were walked for 20 m during the month before, once during the month after and once 2 months after hoof trimming with the sensor attached at the end of their thoracic vertebrae to measure acceleration of the whole body. To relate the acceleration of the body to movements of the legs, image analysis was used to the range of vertical movement of four major skeletal joints, using visual markers attached to them. Hoof trimming significantly (P < 0.005) decreased both the range of vertical movement of the joints of front and hind legs and the variance of lateral and forward acceleration at the end of the thoracic vertebrae, suggesting improved gait pattern smoothness. Acceleration sensing was able to characterize variation among gait patterns of the cows and could reproduce the pattern shown by image analysis. This study demonstrates that three-dimensional acceleration sensing of either the carpal region of a front leg or the end of the thoracic vertebrae is useful to detect walking irregularities and evaluate the effectiveness of hoof trimming on walking ability of cattle.

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Assessing Cows’ Welfare: weighing the Cow in a Milking Robot

Cited by 51 publications

References 6 publications

Genetic analysis and evaluation of behavioural traits in cattle

Genetic analysis and evaluation of behavioural traits in cattle

Automatic recording of daily walkover liveweight of dairy cattle at pasture in the first 100 days in milk

Use of three-dimensional acceleration sensing to assess dairy cow gait and the effects of hoof trimming

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