Impact of Neck Chain Length on the Behavior of Dairy Cows in Tie-Stalls

Abstract

The majority of dairy cows in Ontario are housed in tie-stall barns, with tremendous variability in stall characteristics and dimensions among farms. An observational study conducted by our research group on 317 farms in 2003 identified several key stall characteristics as being associated with lameness, injury and cow cleanliness. Specifically, increased length of tie chain was associated with increased cow cleanliness and a decrease in hock lesions. To further investigate the importance of neck chain length, a pilot study was conducted to examine the behaviour of dairy cows in stalls with two different chain lengths and to determine if cows would exhibit a behavioral preference for increased chain length.

Differential blockade, comparative study of different ropivacaine concentrations (0.75%; 0.2%; 0.12%) for ultrasound guided sciatic and femoral nerve blocks in calves: Prospective cross-over study

“…Pressure algometry is one of the methods used for testing and quantifying the MNT, considered a robust and practical tool to be used in calves ( Millman, 2013 ). Higginson et al. (2010) showed significant reduction of the nociceptive thresholds with pressure algometry, applied to the surgical area of calves subjected to dehorning, when compared to the preoperative period, indicating lower animal tolerance when there is injury and peripheral sensitizing.…”