Behaviour of Dairy Cows, Useful Indicator in Assessing Animal Welfare
Keywords:
dairy cows, behaviour, welfareAbstract
The purpose of this research was to establish the manner in which the flooring type may influence the welfare levels in dairy cows by assessment of laminitis incidence and animals’ behaviour. 42 dairy cows were grouped based on the shelter floor surface: concrete with straw bedding, asphalted concrete with straw bedding and concrete plus shavings. The behaviour was assessed through direct observation and laminitis incidence was established by numerical assessment of locomotion prior or following milking.
The results have indicated an increase of laminitis incidence by 15-25 % in B and C lot and was absent in A lot. The large number of diseases was recorded on concrete floors with shavings bedding (53%). The behavioural displays of the cows suffering from laminitis were different from the healthy ones, as their resting behaviour outside the stalls was more prevalent (17.6% compared to 8.8%) while the feeding behaviour was less present (10.1% compared to 14.7%). Likewise, the socializing behaviour was more active in these animals, compared to the healthy cows.
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