14 Cow Comfort Flashcards
Types of infectious lameness
- heel warts and digital/interdigital dermatitis: affect hoof horn and skin surrounding & between the claws. Wet environments cause
- foot rot: deep infection in tissues enclosed by hoof horn by Fusobacterium necrophorum. Foul odor. Fever
Examples of non-infectious lameness
- laminitis
- joint problem/ hock swelling
- sole ulcer
What is a sole ulcer? Consequence of…
Damaged sole horn, loss of horn tissue except for corium
Combination of things (e.g. weak hoof horn development bc of nutrient deficiency, lamintis)
What is laminitis?
Inflammation of laminae and papillae
What are laminae and papillae?
Laminae: folds of tissue closest to the hoof
Papillae: folds of tissue above the sole
Both function as shock absorbers
Cause of laminitis
Acidosis results in histamine release into the blood
Blood vessels in hooves are destroyed
Dead tissue causes pressure further impeding blood flow, degenerating laminae and papillae
Claw bone detaches from hoof and sole, rotate, may go through the sole
How to fix laminitis
Not much can be done once it has happened
Prevent rumen acidosis!
Locomotion scores
1 (normal): stands and walks with level back
2 (mildly lame): stands with a level back and develops an arched back to walk
3 (moderately lame): arched back is evident while standing and walking
4 (lame): favours one or more legs/hooves
5 (severely lame): demonstrates an inability or extreme reluctance to bear weigh on one or more limbs/hooves
Effects of lameness
Locomotion score 3 = 5% reduction in DMI, 3% reduction in milk yield
Locomotion score 5 = 36% reduction in DMI, 16% reduction in milk yield
Four ways of reducing lame problems
- nutrition
- avoid rumen acidosis
- Zn, Se and biotin for hoof horn development - housing
- comfortable stall size
- improve traction (grooved walkway, no manure)
- dry environment - footbath (copper sulfate)
- kills bacteria
- harden hoof horn - hoof trimming
- distribute weight evenly
- trimmed twice per year
Activity time budget of dairy cows
Eating = 3-5h
Lying/resting = 12-14h
Social interactions = 2-3h
Ruminating = 7-10h
Drinking = 30 mins
Outside pen = 2.5-3.5h
Top 10% milk producing cows spent more time doing what?
Resting
Less time standing in alleys and perching in stalls
Affects of perching in stall
Constant pressure on legs
Less blood flow to mammary bc not lying down
Appropriate stall length and width
Length
- closed front = 260-275cm
- open front = 230-245cm
Width = 106-115cm
Effects of too short vs too long stall
Short = discomfort, lameness
Long = manure in stall (udder area)
What is the point of the brisket board
Allow appropriate lunge space
Do not want animal to lay down too far in stall
What is the point of the neck rail
Force cow to step back when she rises
Do not want her to pee/poo in stall
Effect of neck rail being too low or too close to rear curb
Perching time increases
What is stocking density
Number of animals in a pen/number of stalls in a pen
Effects of >120% stocking density? Reasoning?
No difference in eating time, but decreases resting and ruminating time
Not allow cows will be using the stall at the same time (some eating, some resting)
What happened when stocking density went from 100 to 145%
Resting time decreased by 1.1 hours/day
Milk yield decreased by 1.5 kg/d
Possible issue with maternity pen
- cows forced to move frequently during calving transition
- cows feel stressed when management environment changes
- cows are ‘herd animals’
What kind of maternity pen did cows prefer? Why
Partially covered pen
Gave spaces to ‘hide’
Preferred calving in hidden corner
Sick cows also prefer hidden areas
