The Impact of Dairy Systems on Animal Welfare

Transcription

1 The Impact of Dairy Systems on Animal Welfare Dan Weary 3 rd Biannual W. E. Petersen Symposium: Exploring Viable Dairy Systems Alternatives for Minnesota April 25, 2005

2 What is Animal Welfare?

3 What is Animal Welfare? Affective state? Natural behavior? Health?

4 What is Animal Welfare? Affective state? Natural behavior? Health? Issues not systems!

5 Take home messages: Concerns about animal welfare include health, natural living and affective states like pain Housing and rearing practices for dairy cattle need to reflect these concerns The most workable options will improve conditions for the animals and the producer -- good science will help provide these win-win options

6 Affective states: Pain due to dehorning and tail-docking Natural behavior: Rearing systems for calves Health: Injuries associated with housing systems

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8 Dehorning calves Can the pain due to dehorning be reduced?

9 Sources of pain and distress associated with routine procedures: distress associated with restraint immediate pain post-operative pain

10 Nerve block reduces behavioral response during hot-iron dehorning Conventional Lidocaine Tail wag Head move Trip Force ahead Rear Behavior Graf & Senn, 1999

11 Cortisol response to dehorning Change in cortisol (ng/ml) * * Conventional Lidocaine * * * * * Time after dehorning (h) Petrie et al., 1996

12 Cortisol response to dehorning Change in cortisol (ng/ml) * * Control Lidocaine * * * * * Time after dehorning (h) Petrie et al., 1996

13 Behavioural response to postoperative pain Head shakes No. / 20 min Control Time after dehorning (h) Faulkner & Weary, 2000

14 Behavioural response to postoperative pain Head shakes No. / 20 min * * * * * Control Ketoprofen Time after dehorning (h) Faulkner & Weary, 2000

15 Reducing pain from dehorning distress due to restraint sedative (e.g. xylazine) immediate pain nerve block (e.g. lidocaine) longer term pain NSAID (e.g. ketoprofen) other techniques? e.g. caustic paste

16 Caustic paste dehorning with sedative Head shakes and rubs 8 Hot-iron,2-step 6 Caustic - xylazine only No Time after dehorning (h) Vickers et al., 2005

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18 Tail docking dairy cattle No advantage to tail docking in terms of: Cow cleanliness Udder cleanliness Udder health Cleanliness score 5 Docked Undocked Days from docking Tucker et al., 2001 J Dairy Sci 84: 84-87

19 Painful procedures: bold predictions! * Effective and practical methods of reducing pain due to procedures like dehorning are available. Producers will increasingly adopt these methods * Some procedures, like tail docking, do not have their intended outcome. With increasing knowledge, tail docking will fall out of favor among dairy producers

20 Affective states: Pain due to dehorning and tail-docking Natural behavior: Rearing systems for calves

21 Calf feeding

22 Calf feeding Calves gain weight more than 3 X faster when kept with the cow 60 Body weight (kg) Kept with cow Separated at 1 day Calf age (days) Flower & Weary, 2001

23 What does the cow do? Nurses calf 6-10 times a day Provides about 10 kg of milk What do we do? Feed 2 times a day Provide about 4 kg of milk

24 Free access to teats allows calves: more natural behavior 47 min drinking (vs. 1.5 min on buckets) 10 meals (vs. 2 on buckets) Appleby, Weary & Chua, 2001

25 Free access to teats allows calves: more natural behavior higher milk intake Milk consumed (kg/d) Jasper & Weary, Conventional Teat Calf age (weeks)

26 Free access to teats allows calves: more natural behavior higher milk intake higher weight gains Calf weight (kg) weaning Jasper & Weary, Conventional Teat Calf age (weeks)

27 Free access to teats allows calves: more natural behavior higher milk intake higher weight gains with no reduction in starter intake after weaning Starter intake (kg/d) Conventional Teat weaning Jasper & Weary, Calf age (weeks)

28 More milk prevents vocal response to hunger: Calves vocalize in response to separation from cow Calls / 4 h Thomas et al., Time of day

29 More milk prevents vocal response to hunger: Calves vocalize in response to separation from cow But call much less when fed more milk more often Calls / 4 h Control Extra milk Thomas et al., Time of day

30 Feeding calves more milk Allows for more natural behavior And reduces calf hunger, increases calf weight gains, and facilities group housing Bold prediction: increased milk rations and group housing of calves will become the norm

31 Affective states: Pain due to dehorning and tail-docking Natural behavior: Rearing systems for calves Health: Injuries associated with housing systems

32 Cow injuries and housing systems Leg and hoof lesions

33 Hock lesions more common on exposed mattresses 1 Prop. with lesions sawdust mattress sand 0 Tarsal joint Taszkun & Weary, 2000

34 Lesions develop rapidly when moved to free stalls from pasture Hair loss (cm 2 ) Time (weeks) Mowbray et al, 2003

35 Mattresses cause few problems when recessed to allow use of more bedding Hair loss (cm 2 ) Tarsal joint recessed mattress deep bedding Mowbray et al, 2003

36 Cows also prefer surfaces with more bedding Tucker & Weary, 2004; J. Dairy Sci.

37 And cows spend more time lying down on surfaces with more 15 bedding 14 Lying time (h/24h) Amount of sawdust bedding (kg) Tucker & Weary, 2004; J. Dairy Sci.

38 Reduced stocking rates increase lying time and decrease standing 14 Lying in stall Time 11 (h / day) Outside the stall Number of stalls per group of 12 cows Fregonesi et al., 2004

39 Cows prefer and spend more time standing on softer surfaces Preference: Usage: Time standing inactive (min) sawdust concrete Flooring type DeCook et al, 2002

40 Lame cows improve when given access to pasture 4 3 Gait score Freestall Pasture Week Mendo, in prep.

41 Housing systems for cows Poorly designed or installed housing features can cause injuries Cows usually prefer alternatives that minimize risk of injuries Not so bold prediction: New research will focus on identifying housing that improves cow health. These housing options will be popular with producers!

42 Take home messages: Concerns about animal welfare include health, natural living and affective states like pain Housing and rearing practices for dairy cattle need to reflect these concerns The most workable options will improve conditions for the animals and the producer -- good science will help provide these win-win options

43 Thanks!