Preferences of dairy cows kept in unheated buildings for different kind of cubicle flooring

Manninen, Emmi; Passillé, A.M. de; Rushen, J.; Norring, Marianna; Saloniemi, Hannu

doi:10.1016/s0168-1591(01)00206-4

Cited by 88 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…The rejection of sand and stones raises concern about the suitability of these as rearing substrates. Manninen et al (2002) reported dairy cows having lower lying times on sand, but also found that additional experience with sand improved acceptance of this surface. This suggests that dairy cows require a period of adjustment when switching bedding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

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Dairy calves’ preference for rearing substrate

Worth

Schütz

Stewart³

et al. 2015

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…For example, dairy cows preference for bedding types can differ depending on the time of year in which the tests are performed. Cows were found to prefer straw to rubber mats in winter which may be due to the thermal properties of the bedding materials (Manninen, de Passillé, Rushen, Norring, & Saloniemi, 2002).…”

Section: Preference Testingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dairy calves’ preference for rearing substrate

Worth

Schütz

Stewart³

et al. 2015

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…Cows should be provided comfortable, well-maintained beds (Tucker et al, 2006) and enough beds so they do not have to wait to lie down (Wierenga, 1990). The cushioning ability of stall beds is an important feature in stall design (Manninen et al, 2002;Fulwider and Palmer, 2004b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Free-Stall Base on Tarsal Joint Lesions and Hygiene in Dairy Cows

Fulwider

Grandin

Garrick

et al. 2007

Journal of Dairy Science

108

142

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The objective was to quantify the incidence of tarsal lesions and level of hygiene by stall bed type. Cows were scored on 100 dairies from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa, and New York in the fall and winter. Thirty-eight dairies used rubber-filled mattresses (RFM), 27 had sand beds, 29 had waterbeds, and 6 used compost packs (CPk). Stocking density, stall dimensions, bedding amount, bedding frequency, and type of bedding were recorded. One pen of early-lactation multiparous cows on each dairy was scored based on injury of the tarsal joints at the lateral and medial surfaces and tuber calcis at the dorsal, lateral, and medial surfaces. A tarsal score of 1 represented hair loss, 2 was moderate, and 3 indicated severe swelling. Differences between bed types in the percentages of cows with lesions were tested with one-way ANOVA by lesion severity and incidence, with farm as the experimental unit. Cows on sand beds or waterbeds had fewer lesion scores of 1, 2, and 3 than those on RFM. The percentages of score 1 were 54.6 ± 4.4 (RFM), 22.5 ± 4.7 (sand), and 29.8 ± 4.3 (waterbed), whereas the percentages of score 2 were 14.0 ± 1.4, 2.3 ± 1.5, and 5.0 ± 1.4, and of score 3 were 3.0 ± 0.4, 0.2 ± 0.4, and 0.4 ± 0.4. Cows on CPk had no lesions. Hygiene scores ranged from 1 to 5, with 1 being clean and 5 soiled. The percentages of hygiene score 1 were 0 (compost), 0.4 (RFM), 0.4 (sand), and 0.4 (waterbeds); those with score 2 were 79.0, 84.0 ± 0.01, 73.2 ± 0.01, and 80.4 ± 0.01; with score 3 were 20.3, 15.2 ± 0.01, 23.8 ± 0.01, and 18.6 ± 0.01; with score 4 were 0.8, 0.005 ± 0.001, 0.006 ± 0.001, and 0.025 ± 0.003; and with score 5 was 0 for all bed types. Cows on RFM and waterbeds had improved hygiene compared with cows on sand beds. There was no difference in somatic cell count (SCC) by bed type. The percentage of cows in fourth lactation or Received November 28, 2006. Accepted March 5, 2007 Corresponding author: Wendy.Fulwider@ColoState.edu 3559 greater on waterbeds (19.8 ± 1.8) was greater than those on RFM (13.3 ± 1.6) or on sand (13.5 ± 1.8). The percentage culled was lower for cows on waterbeds than on RFM (22.8 ± 1.5 vs. 29.4 ± 1.4). Score 3 tarsal lesions were correlated (r = 0.60) with SCC. The length of the sand bed was correlated with a greater percentage of mature cows. The SCC was correlated with the percentage of cows reported lame on the day of the visit (r = 0.45) and with neck rail height (r = −0.26). On dairies with RFM, severe lesions (r = 0.60), death losses (r = 0.52), and percentage of the herd reported lame on the day of the visit (r = 0.52) were all correlated with the SCC. Dairies with higher percentages of lesions had higher SCC, death losses, lameness, and culling rates. Adding bedding several times per week may reduce the incidence of lesions.

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“…Webster claims that softness is the most important property (Webster 1993). Manninen et al (2002) observed that, in winter, the cows in cold free-stall housing preferred well bedded concrete stalls more than scarcely bedded, soft rubber mats. In summer, no difference was detected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Physical properties of synthetic bedding materials for free-stall dairy cow

Ruunaniemi¹,

Hautala²,

Ahokas³

2008

AFSci

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Rest is a prerequisite for the well-being of cows and they spend 40-50% of the time lying down. In this study the basic physical properties, the friction coefficient, heat flux as a function of time and softness of the bedding materials were measured. The heat flux to the bedding was shown to be large enough to affect the cow's heat balance. The friction coefficients of most of the tested materials were not within the recommended 0.3-0.5. However, the friction values are only indicative, as the material and the shape of the artificial hoof were not identical to natural hooves. There were also differences of almost an order of magnitude in the softness (Young's modulus) of the mats. Demands for softness vary according to the type of building and cow's physical condition, for instance a cow with an injured leg needs softer bedding. The properties of mats and beds varied considerably and the various properties did not correlate with each other. More information is needed concerning these values to animal welfare and health in order to be able to make recommendations of different physical material characteristics in different climate and housing conditions.

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Preferences of dairy cows kept in unheated buildings for different kind of cubicle flooring

Cited by 88 publications

References 13 publications

Dairy calves’ preference for rearing substrate

Dairy calves’ preference for rearing substrate

Influence of Free-Stall Base on Tarsal Joint Lesions and Hygiene in Dairy Cows

Physical properties of synthetic bedding materials for free-stall dairy cow

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