The effect of dry cow winter management system on feed intake, performance and estimated energy demand

Abstract

This research compared three wood-chip out-wintering pad (OWP; an unsheltered OWP; a sheltered OWP (both with a concrete feed apron); and an unsheltered OWP with silage provided directly on top of the wood-chip bedding (self-feed OWP)) designs and cubicle housing with regard to dairy cow performance during the pre-partum period, and for 8 weeks post partum. Data were compared during 2 years. In Year 1, the unsheltered (space allowance 5 12 m 2 per cow) and sheltered (6 m 2 per cow) OWPs were compared with cubicle housing (n 5 49 cows per treatment). In Year 2, all three OWP designs (12 m 2 per cow) were compared with cubicle housing (n 5 24 cows per treatment, split into two replicates). Animals were dried off and assigned to treatment in the autumn, and remained there until calving in spring. Subsequently, they were managed at pasture during lactation. Outcome measures for analysis during the pre-partum period were feed intake, live weight, body condition score (BCS), heat production and heat loss, and post-partum were live weight, BCS, milk yield and milk composition. In Year 1, all cows had a similar live weight, but both pre-partum and at calving cows on the unsheltered OWP had a lower BCS than cows in cubicles ( P , 0.05). However, in Year 2, there were no differences in either live weight or BCS. In Year 1, cows in the unsheltered OWP produced less heat than in cubicles ( P , 0.05), but in Year 2, there was no treatment effect. In both years, cows in unsheltered OWPs lost more heat than cows in the sheltered OWP ( P , 0.001). Treatment had no effect on milk composition either year. However, in Year 2, cows in the self-feed OWP had higher milk yields than the other treatments ( P , 0.05). The lower BCS and heat production values in unsheltered treatments during Year 1 were probably because of higher rainfall and wind-speed values of that year. However, in both years, live weight in all treatments increased pre partum, and BCS did not decrease, indicating that unsheltered cows did not need to mobilise body reserves. Thus, OWPs could be a suitable pre-partum alternative to cubicle housing for dry dairy cows with regard to some aspects of dairy cow productive performance. However, further research should be carried out to investigate longer-term effects.

Effects of winter housing systems on production, economics, body weight, body condition score, and bedding cultures for organic dairy cows

“…O'Driscoll et al (2008) reported that cows housed outdoors had similar SCS compared with cows housed indoors, which is in agreement with the current study. The production results are similar to O'Driscoll et al (2010) who reported cows housed in sheltered outwintering pads had similar fat and protein production to cows housed inside a barn.…”

Periparturient and early lactation performance and metabolism of replacement Holstein‐Friesian heifers out‐wintered on fodder beet or perennial ryegrass compared with winter housing

“…For instance, the long-term regional average for January is 74.0 mm of rain on 12.9 wet days (Met Office, 2012); however, there were 40% more rain and an additional eight wet days during the January of the study. Cold experienced by cattle is a function of temperature, solar radiation, wind and rainfall (O'Driscoll et al, 2010;Redbo et al, 2001;Tucker et al, 2007); therefore, due to the wet conditions experienced during the latter half of the winter, the heifers which were out-wintered are likely to have been under some degree of climatic challenge. Redbo et al (2001) observed a reduction in time spent feeding in periods of high climatic energy demand.…”

“…However, previous research has reported little effect of out‐wintering on animal performance (Keogh, French, McGrath, Storey, & Mulligan, ,b; McCarrick & Drennan, ; O'Driscoll, Boyle, Hanlon, Buckley, & French, ) except when offered a diet exclusively of grazed perennial ryegrass (Keogh et al., 2009a). Much of the previous research regarding out‐wintering has been undertaken with beef cattle or mature dairy cows that are either kept at maintenance or to achieve low rates of liveweight (LW) gain (Keogh et al., 2009a; Morgan, McIlvaney, Dwyer, & Lawrence, ; O'Driscoll et al., ). Replacement dairy heifers are required to grow at a more rapid rate and consequently have to partition proportionally more energy to LW gain and usually possess a lower level of body condition than beef cattle or mature cows (Belyea, Frost, Martz, Clark, & Forkner, ).…”

“…A reduction in time spent eating has also been reported (Redbo et al, 2001), which may have an associated effect of reducing DMI and animal performance. However, previous research has reported little effect of out-wintering on animal performance (Keogh, French, McGrath, Storey, & Mulligan, 2009a,b;McCarrick & Drennan, 1972;O'Driscoll, Boyle, Hanlon, Buckley, & French, 2010) except when offered a diet exclusively of grazed perennial ryegrass (Keogh et al, 2009a). Much of the previous research regarding out-wintering has been undertaken with beef cattle or mature dairy cows that are either kept at maintenance or to achieve low rates of liveweight (LW) gain (Keogh et al, 2009a;Morgan, McIlvaney, Dwyer, & Lawrence, 2009;O'Driscoll et al, 2010).…”

Effects of winter housing system on hygiene, udder health, frostbite, and rumination of dairy cows

“…Outdoor housing is commonly used for dairy heifers and nonlactating dairy cattle during the winter months in Ireland (Boyle et al, 2008;O'Driscoll et al, 2009O'Driscoll et al, , 2010. Studies in Ireland showed that housing cows outdoors in winter did not negatively affect milk production (O'Driscoll et al, 2009), lameness prevalence, or udder health (O'Driscoll et al, 2008a,b).…”