Alternative Approaches for Bedding Materials Used in the Housing of Dairy Calves and Cows
The objective of the first study was to determine the effect of bedding on the behavior and performance of Holstein and Jersey calves housed using individual hutches bedded with gravel,rubber mats, or sand.The second study evaluated the behavioral response of late lactation Holstein cows to two types of sand bedding: (1) new, clean sand or (2) sand reclaimed from the sand settling lane of the farms manure management system.In study 1, 23 Holstein calves and38 Jersey calves were blocked by birth date and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 bedding treatments(gravel, rubber mat, or sand).Data were collected for 6.5 to 10 weeks following birth,depending on when calves were weaned.In study 2, Cows (n =64) were divided into 8 groups of 8 cows with treatments imposed using a replicated crossover design with 7-d periods.Data loggers were used to measure daily lying time (h d-1), number of lying bouts (n d-1).In both studies, data were analyzed using mixed models in SAS.In study 1, there was a significant effect of breed for all response variables.Mean lying time, BW gain, or grain intake were not affected by treatment, week, or treatment × week interactions for Holstein and Jersey calves.In study 2, there were minor differences in overall lying times, less than 25 mind-1, with no other differences in lying behaviors.This suggests any of these beddings may be used without compromising the welfare of pre-weaned dairy calves or lactating cows.
Dairy cow dairy calf bedding housing welfare behavior
Peter D.Krawczel Christa A.Kurman Heather D.Ingle Randi A.Black Nieole L.Eberhart
Department of Animal Science, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
国际会议
The 2015 International Symposium on Animal Environment and Welfare(动物环境和福利国际研讨会)
重庆
英文
333-340
2015-10-23（万方平台首次上网日期，不代表论文的发表时间）