DAIRY COW BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS OF COW CHOICE

4/28/2014 BEHAVIORS IMPORTANT TO COWS © KBS, Michigan State University ©C Trafford Gold ©J.B. Fisher DAIRY COW BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS OF COW CHOIC...
Author: Lilian Barber
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4/28/2014

BEHAVIORS IMPORTANT TO COWS

© KBS, Michigan State University

©C Trafford Gold ©J.B. Fisher

DAIRY COW BEHAVIOR: IMPLICATIONS OF COW CHOICE

© The Post Standard

Janice M. Siegford Animal Behavior and Welfare Group Department of Animal Science Michigan State University

© Carrie Telgen

© The Bullvine LLC

ONE MORE BEHAVIOR….

OPPORTUNITIES FOR BEHAVIOR

BEHAVIOR,WELFARE & CHOICE

DESIGN IMPACTS COW CHOICE

“Do they have what they want?” (Dawkins, 2004)

Do they have enough freedom to make choices or

effect change? Can they get what they want? What happens when they exert that control? Can they do what they

want?

Cow being trained to use sprinkler

Do the impacts of design and animal choices result

in good welfare?

©UC, Davis

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FREE STALL SYSTEMS

BEDDED PACK SYSTEMS

©University of Wisconsin ©UMN Extension

PASTURE-BASED SYSTEMS

©UMN Extension

AUTOMATIC MILKING SYSTEMS (AMS)

©Lely

©DeLaval

©Lely

AUTOMATIC MILKING SYSTEMS (AMS)

©Lely

©Lely

DAY OF A TYPICAL DAIRY COW Behavior

Avg Confined Cow

Avg Pastured Cow

Avg AMS Cow**

Lying

2.8 – 17.6 h/day

12.0 – 14.0 h/day

9.5 – 12.4 h/day 14. 1 h/day

Feeding

1.4 – 8.1 h/day

8.0 – 12.0 h/day

1.2 – 4.5 h/day

5.5 h/day

Drinking

0 – 2.0 h/day

0.5 – 1.0 h/day

n/a

0.3 h/day

Standing Idle 0.5 – 22.4 h/day

0 – 2.5 h/day

6.6 – 8.0 h/day

1.6 h/day

Milking*

1 – 3.0 h/day

0.4 – 0.6 h/day

2.5 h/day

0.9 – 5.7 h/day

Top Producers

*Includes travel time to and from parlor and time spent in holding. **In free stall systems.

 Rumination: 6 – 7 h/day  Social interaction: 0.5 – 3 h/day ©Aarhus University

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FEEDING IN FREE STALLS/BEDDED PACK

FEEDING BEHAVIOR

©Nigel Cook

DeVries et al., 2003 JDS 86:4079-4082

©Getty Images

FEEDING BEHAVIOR

FEEDING ON PASTURE

©Prime Stables, LTD

©The Cultured Home

©Walter Baxter

DeVries et al., 2005 JDS 88:625-631

FEEDING BEHAVIOR

BODY CONDITION & GRAZING

NZ Friesian

US high-durability Holstein

US High-producing Holstein

Tucker 2009*

McCarthy et al., 2007 JDS 90:1859-1869

*Adapted from Tucker et al., 2008 AABS 109:141-154 & DeVries & von Keyserlingk, 2005 JDS 88:625-631

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FEEDING CONCERNS: FREE STALLS

FEEDING CONCERNS: PASTURE

 Cows in free stalls can choose to feed any time, but they don’t

 Cows will choose to avoid contaminated grass and to graze

 Reduced feeding time = negative energy balance   risk for metabolic disorders,  BCS, and  production  Possible solutions to accommodate feeding behavior:  Provide adequate space per cow at feed bunk  Change timing of feed delivery  Increase frequency of feed delivery  Consider type of feed rail

LYING IN FREE STALLS

good grass, but they may not be able to graze enough to meet their needs  Reduced energy intake = negative energy balance

 Possible solutions to accommodate grazing constraints:  Pasture quality  Stocking rate  Rotate pastures  Supplementation  Select appropriate cows

LYING BEHAVIOR IN FREE STALLS

©Nigel Cook

©University of Wisconsin

Overton et al., 2002 JDS 85:2407-2413

LYING BEHAVIOR IN FREE STALLS

LYING BEHAVIOR IN BEDDED PACK

Fregonesi et al., 2007 JDS 90:3349-3354

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LYING ON PASTURE

©Phil Carlton

LYING BEHAVIOR ON PASTURE

Photo credit: Morguefile.com

Tucker, 2009*

*Adapted from Tucker et al., 2008 AABS 109:141-154 & DeVries & von Keyserlingk, 2005 JDS 88:625-631

LYING BEHAVIOR ON PASTURE

LYING CONCERNS: FREE STALLS

Heat stress can reduce lying time of pastured cows

 Cows in free stalls can lie down at any time, but they don’t

 Standing is thought to maximize exposed surface area  If shade is provided, cows may stand rather than lie

 Reduced lying time = problems with lameness, BCS,

reproductive performance, decreased production, increased stress hormones & reduced growth hormone

under the shade Cows may also spend more time grazing at night

 Possible solutions to accommodate cow lying behavior:  Reduce stall stocking rate  Use preferred stall bedding and depth  Ensure adequate stall dimensions & designs

LYING CONCERNS: PASTURE

MILKING IN AN AMS

 Cows on pasture may not lie down enough if they are heat

stressed

 Reduced lying time = problems with lameness, BCS,

reproductive performance, decreased production, increased stress hormones & reduced growth hormone

 Possible solutions to accommodate lying constraints:  Access to shade or cool barn  Pasture substrate  Windbreaks ©KBS, MSU

©Jackie Jacobs, ABWG

www.ruralni.gov.uk

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MILKING BEHAVIOR IN AMS

MILKING BEHAVIOR IN AMS

Duration of Event (in Seconds)

Mean Circadian Rhythm of Events 3400 3200 3000 2800 2600 2400 2200 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

RE RC SM UM BU

0

Hogeveen et al., 2001 Livest Prod Sci 72:157-167

AMS MILKING BEHAVIOR: CONCERNS

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Jacobs, 2011

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10 11 12 13 14 Hour of the Day

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KBS DAIRY: PASTURE + AMS

 Variable milking intervals could increase SCC and put

cows at risk for mastitis or damaged teat ends

 Cows may circle, hesitate or block at the robot = more

time on their feet less time feeding

 Possible solutions to address AMS behaviors:  Optimize gate/alley/holding area configuration  Place other desired resources away from AMS  Use an external concentrate feeder to supplement cows

KBS DAIRY: PASTURE + AMS

BEHAVIOR STUDIES AT KBS Behavior of dairy cows in automatic milking

systems with pasture

(Jacobs & Siegford, 2012a & b; Jacobs et al., 2012; Siegford et al., 2012a & b; Elischer et al., 2013)

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BEHAVIOR STUDIES AT KBS

DAIRY COWS ADAPT QUICKLY TO AMS

 How well do cows adapt to AMS?

Milk Yield ± 4 Days Relative to Transition

 How does cow behavior impact efficient use of AMS?  Does pasture + AMS impact behavior, health &

productivity  How does stocking rate impact cow behavior?

Day: p < 0.001

(Jacobs & Siegford, 2012)

BEHAVIOR IN AMS: CIRCLING

DAIRY COWS ADAPT QUICKLY TO AMS Steps and Kicks before Teat Cup Attachment

Parity: p < 0.05 Day: p = 0.09

Elimination & Vocalization

Day: p < 0.001

(Jacobs & Siegford, 2012)

BEHAVIOR IN AMS: BLOCKING

COW BEHAVIOR = EFFICIENT USE? Successful Milking vs. Back Up y = -1.768 + 0.59x r2 = -0.26 (p