The Impact of Dairy Systems on Animal Welfare

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

What is Animal Welfare?

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

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

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

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

Dehorning calves Can the pain due to dehorning be reduced?

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

Nerve block reduces behavioral response during hot-iron dehorning 20 15 Conventional Lidocaine 10 5 0 Tail wag Head move Trip Force ahead Rear Behavior Graf & Senn, 1999

Cortisol response to dehorning 30 20 10 0 Change in cortisol (ng/ml) * * Conventional Lidocaine * * * * * -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Time after dehorning (h) Petrie et al., 1996

Cortisol response to dehorning 30 20 10 Change in cortisol (ng/ml) * * Control Lidocaine * * * * * 0-1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Time after dehorning (h) Petrie et al., 1996

Behavioural response to postoperative pain Head shakes No. / 20 min 20 10 Control 0 1 2 3 4 6 8 12 24 Time after dehorning (h) Faulkner & Weary, 2000

Behavioural response to postoperative pain Head shakes No. / 20 min 20 10 * * * * * Control Ketoprofen 0 1 2 3 4 6 8 12 24 Time after dehorning (h) Faulkner & Weary, 2000

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

Caustic paste dehorning with sedative Head shakes and rubs 8 Hot-iron,2-step 6 Caustic - xylazine only No. 4 2 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Time after dehorning (h) Vickers et al., 2005

Tail docking dairy cattle No advantage to tail docking in terms of: Cow cleanliness Udder cleanliness Udder health 15 10 Cleanliness score 5 Docked Undocked 0 9 14 22 36 58 Days from docking Tucker et al., 2001 J Dairy Sci 84: 84-87

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

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

Calf feeding

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 50 40 1 14 Calf age (days) Flower & Weary, 2001

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

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

Free access to teats allows calves: more natural behavior higher milk intake Milk consumed (kg/d) 10 8 6 Jasper & Weary, 2002 4 2 0 Conventional Teat 0 2 4 Calf age (weeks)

Free access to teats allows calves: more natural behavior higher milk intake higher weight gains 90 80 70 60 Calf weight (kg) weaning Jasper & Weary, 2002 50 40 Conventional Teat 0 2 4 6 8 Calf age (weeks)

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) 3 2 1 Conventional Teat weaning Jasper & Weary, 2002 0 0 2 4 6 8 Calf age (weeks)

More milk prevents vocal response to hunger: Calves vocalize in response to separation from cow Calls / 4 h 10 8 6 4 2 Thomas et al., 2001 0 10 14 18 22 02 06 Time of day

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 10 8 6 4 2 Control Extra milk Thomas et al., 2001 0 10 14 18 22 02 06 Time of day

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

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

Cow injuries and housing systems Leg and hoof lesions

Hock lesions more common on exposed mattresses 1 Prop. with lesions 0.75 0.5 0.25 sawdust mattress sand 0 Tarsal joint Taszkun & Weary, 2000

Lesions develop rapidly when moved to free stalls from pasture Hair loss (cm 2 ) 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 Time (weeks) Mowbray et al, 2003

Mattresses cause few problems when recessed to allow use of more bedding Hair loss (cm 2 ) 4 2 0 Tarsal joint recessed mattress deep bedding Mowbray et al, 2003

Cows also prefer surfaces with more bedding 0 7.5 1 Tucker & Weary, 2004; J. Dairy Sci.

And cows spend more time lying down on surfaces with more 15 bedding 14 Lying time (h/24h) 13 12 11 0 0 1 7.5 Amount of sawdust bedding (kg) Tucker & Weary, 2004; J. Dairy Sci.

Reduced stocking rates increase lying time and decrease standing 14 Lying in stall 13 12 Time 11 (h / day) 8 9 10 11 12 11 10 9 8 Outside the stall 7 8 9 10 11 12 Number of stalls per group of 12 cows Fregonesi et al., 2004

Cows prefer and spend more time standing on softer surfaces Preference: Usage: Time standing inactive (min) 80 60 40 20 0 sawdust concrete Flooring type DeCook et al, 2002

Lame cows improve when given access to pasture 4 3 Gait score Freestall Pasture 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 Week Mendo, in prep.

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!

Thanks!