Stepping and kicking behaviour during milking in relation to response in human–animal interaction test and clinical health in loose housed dairy cows

Rousing, Tine; Bonde, Marianne; Badsberg, Jens Henrik; Sørensen, Jan Tind

doi:10.1016/j.livprodsci.2003.12.001

Cited by 69 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…They have been reported as having a negative effect on cow comfort, locomotion, and claw health (Fjeldaas et al, 2011) and will likely result in poor milk production. However, Rousing et al (2004) found no lameness or other signs of leg disorders with stepping and kicking during milking.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…There is clear evidence that the assessment of cattle welfare must include the milking routine (Wenzel, 2003;Rousing et al, 2004) because it is a daily process throughout the lifetime of dairy cows. Milking is a convenient time to assess animal welfare because cows show their sensitivities, which could lead to different stress responses if consistent behavioral routines are interrupted (Hopster et al, 1998;Gygax et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Milking is a convenient time to assess animal welfare because cows show their sensitivities, which could lead to different stress responses if consistent behavioral routines are interrupted (Hopster et al, 1998;Gygax et al, 2008). Behaviors during milking may be relevant as part of a welfare management tool serving to indicate cow welfare problems relating to udder health, milking techniques, skin lesions, and quality of handling routines in the individual herd (Rousing et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stepping, kicking, and constant movement are also indicative of agitation and stressful situations (Grandin, 1993), which might inhibit milk ejection (Willis, 1983) and decrease milk yield (de Vries et al, 2011). Thus, increased movement could be used to assess cow comfort during milking (Rousing et al, 2004). As these are animal-based measurements, they also allow comparisons to be made of animal welfare under different production systems and conditions (Hemsworth et al, 1989).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship between stepping and kicking behavior and milking management in dairy cattle herds

Cerqueira

Araújo

Blanco‐Penedo

et al. 2017

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

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Keywords: dairy cows behavior type of milking parlor stepping kicking milk production a b s t r a c t We studied the relationship between behavior during milking with milking parlor management, measuring the occurrence of steps and kicks, and cow-related factors. We also investigated the link between stepping and kicking during milking and udder health. A total of 2,903 direct observations of milking behavior were collected in 44 dairy herds in the north of Portugal. The results showed great variability in the occurrence of stepping and kicking among herds during milking. Mixed linear and logistic regression models for factors associated with stepping and kicking were developed. Cows in tandem milking parlors took fewer steps (P < 0.003) than in herringbone ones, although in the tandem milking system, more kicking occurred than in parallel and herringbone systems. Milking room temperatures of more than 27 C led to a higher frequency of kicks among cows (P < 0.010). The practice of overmilking also produced a significantly greater frequency of cow stepping (P < 0.001). Primiparous cows stepped a third less frequently than did greater parity cows but showed a greater tendency to kick compared with the multiparous ones. Cows with somatic cell counts for more than 200,000 cells/mL at the time of the visit also showed a trend toward higher kicking frequency. The results suggest that animal welfare measures, like kicking and stepping, are suitable for epidemiologic studies. Significant interactions were observed when animals were affected by challenging health and welfare situations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Relationship between stepping and kicking behavior and milking management in dairy cattle herds

Cerqueira

Araújo

Blanco‐Penedo

et al. 2017

Journal of Veterinary Behavior

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“…Changes in the autonomic nervous system activity of animals differing in stress reactivity are suggested to be highly different (Koolhaas et al, 2010); therefore, HR and HRV may effectively represent immediate autonomic responses of animals differing in natural individual variation in quantitative (stress reactivity) and qualitative (coping styles) dimensions in respect of stress. Studying HR and HRV in relation with stress reactivity and coping might also provide more detailed information on the physiological background of the human-cattle relationship as well, the importance of which has been shown earlier by several studies, on health and welfare (Rousing et al, 2004) and milk production (Breuer et al, 2000; Dodzi and Muchenje, 2011). …”

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confidence: 95%

Welfare implication of measuring heart rate and heart rate variability in dairy cattle: literature review and conclusions for future research

Kovács

Jurkovich

Bakony³

et al. 2014

Animal

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Heart rate (HR) measurements have been used to determine stress in livestock species since the beginning of the 1970s. However, according to the latest studies in veterinary and behaviour-physiological sciences, heart rate variability (HRV) proved to be more precise for studying the activity of the autonomic nervous system. In dairy cattle, HR and HRV indices have been used to detect stress caused by routine management practices, pain or milking. This review provides the significance of HR and HRV measurements in dairy cattle by summarising current knowledge and research results in this area. First, the biological background and the interrelation of the autonomic regulation of cardiovascular function, stress, HR and HRV are discussed. Equipment and methodological approaches developed to measure interbeat intervals and estimate HRV in dairy cattle are described. The methods of HRV analysis in time, frequency and non-linear domains are also explained in detail emphasising their physiological background. Finally, the most important scientific results and potential possibilities for future research are presented.Keywords: heart rate, heart rate variability, stress, welfare, dairy cattle ImplicationsHousing and milking technology, health status and way of handling of animals influence the well-being of animals in intensive dairy farming. Non-invasive methods of assessing stress include heart rate and heart rate variability measurements that involve the monitoring of the autonomic nervous function by digital, high frequency, 24 h multi-channel electrocardiographic recorders. As high-producing cattle breeds are very sensitive to environmental factors, monitoring and decreasing stress is of major importance in terms of both animal welfare and production. IntroductionIn intensive dairy farming, housing and milking systems are main factors in determining the welfare of animals, as adaptation to environmental changes can be challenging for high-producing breeds.Important aspects in the improvement of dairy cattle management systems in respect of animal welfare are the recognition and evaluation of stress. The stressfulness of the technological environment has been examined in many different contexts. Certain welfare studies proved that for intensively farmed cattle, the milking technology (Rushen et al., 2001;Wenzel et al., 2003), fear from given routine treatments (Holst, 1998) and pain (Broom, 1991;Mellor et al., 2000) mean such load that may cause stress (Dantzer and Mormède, 1983;von Borell, 2001) having a negative impact also on milk production (Rushen et al., 2001). Effects of technology and of social interactions can be described not only by classical descriptive behavioural observations (e.g. Milmann, 2013;Theurer et al., 2013), but with physiological measures as well (Hopster and Blokhuis, 1994;Rietmann et al., 2004). Most dairy cattle studies have focused on the stress reactions of animals expressed in neuroendocrine changes that are considered to be reliable indicators of stress and pain in livestock species (...

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Relationship between dairy cows' hind leg activity and vacuum records during milking

Meyer

Haeussermann

Hartung

2021

Animal

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Stepping and kicking behaviour during milking in relation to response in human–animal interaction test and clinical health in loose housed dairy cows

Cited by 69 publications

References 8 publications

Relationship between stepping and kicking behavior and milking management in dairy cattle herds

Relationship between stepping and kicking behavior and milking management in dairy cattle herds

Welfare implication of measuring heart rate and heart rate variability in dairy cattle: literature review and conclusions for future research

Relationship between dairy cows' hind leg activity and vacuum records during milking

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