dairy production lec 15

Question 1

what has been the trend of the aus dairy industry

Answer 1

• decrease in number of herds, increase in number of cows

o production per head has increased (80-85%)

Question 2

what is the response of the aus dairy industry to welfare

Answer 2

• aus dairy industry
  o becoming a strong focus
  o quality assurance (QA) programs
  o nurturing
   Good nutrition and shelter for calves
  o valuing
   Each animal an asset. They are cared for, protected and valued.
  o feeding
   provides a highly nutritious diet that delivers good milk production and welfare
  o prevention
   Ensure cow health- good welfare.
  o handling
   Good stockmanship and welfare go hand in hand. Cow welfare and milk production benefit from handling practices that create a calm, low-stress environment.
  o milking
   milking routine enables cows to be inspected regularly, and if ill, treated early, long before welfare is compromised.
  o monitoring
   Daily monitoring of milk production- feedback about cow health, nutrition and welfare.
  o improving
   new and better ways of caring for their cattle.
  o assuring
   Sound dairy farming practices that deliver good animal welfare are integrated into everyday quality assurance systems

Question 3

what are the 5 welfare strategy’s employed by the aus dairy industry

Answer 3

o	Calf Management 
o	Tail Docking 
o	Calving Induction 
o	Disbudding 
o	Lameness

Question 4

what is the average production per cow

Answer 4

• milk production per cow has increased to 5000L/cow/year

Question 5

what has been the impact of dairy cows increased production

Answer 5

• milk production per cow has increased to 5000L/cow/year

Question 6

what does a cow do most of under normal conditions (pasture)

Answer 6

• cow spends 50% time lying down

Question 7

what are the 5 freedoms

Answer 7

hunger and thirst
discomfort
fear and distress
pain injury or disease
express normal behaviour

Question 8

how is the freedom of hunger and thirst impacted on

Answer 8

HUNGER AND THIRST
 access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vitality.
• sufficient feed intake- BCS, NEB
• water- summer 80-120L/cow/day

Question 9

how is the freedom of discomfort impacted on

Answer 9

. DISCOMFORT 
	appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area. 
•	heat stress +/- 5 degrees from normal
•	appropriate shed design 
•	space to lay down 
•	Dystocia (abortion) 
•	Housing (lane ways) 
•	Tail Docking 
•	can’t deal with flies 
•	no evidence of improved cleanliness and heath
•	impacts on welfare, market access and consumer perception  
•	Transport/slaughter when culled

Question 10

how is the freedom pain injury or disease impacted on

Answer 10

.PAIN, INJURY OR DISEASE
 prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
• lameness
• Wall cracks, punctured sole, sole bleedings and ulcers
• White line defects
• hoof grows at 5mm/month
• •>66% lameness traumatic origin in grazing systems
• •30-75% of cows on large farms have thin soles
• mastitis
• clinical
 less time laying down, less walking, drank less, less rumination, less production
• subclinical
• incidence 20-30%

Question 11

how is the freedom of express normal behaviour impacted on

Answer 11

4. EXPRESS NORMAL BEHAVIOUR
    sufficient space, proper facilities and company
    behaviour adaptive, hard to define normal
   • indoor more time standing, less walking
   • pasture more time laying own, more time walking

Question 12

how is the freedom from fear and discomfort impacted on

Answer 12

o 5. FEAR AND DISTRESS
 conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
• no difference in aversion between shouting and cattle prod
• tail twist not aversive
• gentling unrewarding

Question 13

how can welfare be assessed in dairy cattle

Answer 13

• assessment
  o Animal
   condition score , lameness
  o Management dairy farmer

 how does he/she manage
o Environment cow
 floor, drinking, feed places, lane ways

Question 14

what are the top 5 biggest welfare issues

Answer 14

1 	Lameness cases 
2 	Body condition score 
3 	Hock lesions 
4 	Locomotion score 
5 	Competition for feed and water

Question 15

how is lameness related to welfare

Answer 15

-	Lameness
o	major welfare issue
	5.5-14% of all herds 
o	infectious or traumatic origin 
o	management impacts
	standing surface 
o	use of gait scoring to assess

Question 16

how is dehorning a welfare issue

Answer 16

-	dehorning
o	cause pain 
	local doesn’t stop pain 
o	disbudding alternative 
	not as painful

Question 17

how is induction a welfare issue

Answer 17

• induction
  o high mortality rate to calf
   0-38.5%

Question 18

how does the enviro impact on the cow

Answer 18

• enviro
  o cow affected more by heat then cold
   for repro and lactation

Question 19

what is the welfare in transport compromised

Answer 19

• transport of young stock
  o 50% bruised stifles
  o mortality>20% in calves <14 days