Welfare assessment of dairy cows in commercial farms in Chattogram, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background Dairy farming is a major component of livestock in Bangladesh. However, a baseline study on the welfare of dairy cattle in Bangladesh is still new. Therefore, a cross-sectional study was performed to assess the present welfare status of dairy cows at the farm level. Method A total of thirty-six dairy farms of Chattogram having a total of 1110 cross-bred multiparous lactating cows were studied to assess the health and welfare through farm investigation and animal-based measurements using a well-structured questionnaire. Data regarding farm management were collected by observation of the farm and interviewing the farmers. On the other hand, the cows were observed to identify the disorders with a special focus on the hock, claw, and hoof abnormalities. The data were then analyzed using Stata-14 and p<0.05 was taken as significant. Results The study showed that most of the farms used an intensive system (75%) while 47 and 17% of the farms had moderately dirty or dirty floors, respectively. Improper manure disposal led to heavy fly infestation (33%). Lameness and stereotypy behaviors were found in 12% and 14% of animals, respectively. Hock, claw, and hoof abnormalities were found in 30, 37, and 28% of the animals, respectively, whereas injuries were observed in 19% of the cows. About 25% of the injuries occurred in face-out rearing systems; 1.8 times more than the face-in systems. Moreover, cows on farms with bad drainage systems were 2.4 times more likely to have injuries compared with cows reared on farms with good drainage systems. It was also observed that hock and hoof abnormalities were significantly (p<0.05) associated with the quality and conditions of floor, and drainage systems. Conclusions These results suggest that the welfare of dairy cows in the commercial farms in Chattogram of Bangladesh is compromised and needs to be improved for better production and profitability.