Associations between lameness and production, feeding and milking attendance of Holstein cows milked with an automatic milking system

Abstract

A longitudinal study involving 73 primiparous (PP) and 47 multiparous (MP) Holstein cows was conducted over an 8-month period to assess the associations between locomotion score (LCS) and milk production, dry matter intake (DMI), feeding behaviour, and number of visits to an automatic milking system (AMS). Twice weekly, all cows were locomotion scored (scale 1-5) by the same observer. Individual eating behaviour and individual feed consumption at each cow visit to the feed troughs, individual milk production, the time of milking, and the number of milkings for each cow were recorded for the day of locomotion scoring and the day before and after. Dependent variables, such as milk yield, DMI, etc. were modelled using a mixed-effects model with parity, LCS, days in milk (DIM), the exponential of -0.05 DIM, and the interaction between parity and LCS, as fixed effects and random intercepts and random slopes for the linear and the exponential of -0.05DIM effects within cow. LCS did not affect time of attendance at feed troughs, but affected the location that cows occupied in the feed troughs. The time devoted to eating and DMI decreased with increasing LCS. Milk production decreased with LCS>3. The number of daily visits to the AMS also decreased with increasing LCS. The cows with high LCS were fetched more often than the cows with low LCS. Overall, PP cows were more sensitive to the effects of increasing LCS than were MP cows. The decrease in milk production observed with increasing LCS seemed to be affected similarly by the decrease in DMI and by the decrease in number of daily visits to the AMS. A further economic loss generated by lame cows with AMS will be associated with the additional labour needed to fetch them.

Effects of type of lesion and trimming on short-term behavior of grazing dairy cows

“…2 or more units) would promote more expressive changes in some behavioral parameters. In agreement with our results, Bach et al (2007) found no differences in total eating time for cows with LS 3 and 4 (1 unit of difference), but found a significant reduction in this parameter when cows with LS 5 were compared with cows with LS 3 (2 units of difference).…”

Relationship of lameness to body condition score, udder health and milk quality in crossbred dairy cattle

“…In intensive management systems, animals are fed in mangers and the excessive lying behaviour of animals has a negative impact on body condition as the animal spends less time feeding, which results in inappropriate nutrition. BACH et al (2007) observed that the time spent eating and the number of meals per day decreased as the locomotion score increased, resulting in a significant reduction in overall dry matter intake in most of the lame cows. However, RABER et al (2004) reported that whether the body condition is high or low, both can equally make the animal susceptible to lameness due to the alteration in the fat of the digital cushion found in the hoofs of dairy cattle.…”

Assessing the welfare impact of foot disorders in dairy cattle by a modeling approach

“…However, over time, relatively small changes in behavior, as resulted from moderate pain, can have considerable consequences. For example, cows with subclinical foot disorders may arrive later at and/or have unfavorable places at the feeding fence, resulting in lower feed intake, affecting the functioning of the cow, for example, reduced milk production (Bach et al, 2007). Specific behaviors, like lying down and standing up, and expressing estrus behavior may be obstructed (Walker et al, 2008), leading to discomfort and frustration.…”

“…Walker et al, 2008). Impaired functioning due to foot disorders may manifest as lower milk production (Onyiro et al, 2008), resulting from lower feed intake (Bach et al, 2007), or as reduced fertility (Bicalho et al, 2007).…”