Leveraging Accelerometer Data for Lameness Detection in Dairy Cows: A Longitudinal Study of Six Farms in Germany

Lameness in dairy cows poses a significant challenge to improving animal well-being and optimizing economic efficiency in the dairy industry. To address this, employing automated animal surveillance for early lameness detection and prevention through activity sensors proves to be a promising strategy. In this study, we analyzed activity (accelerometer) data and additional cow-individual and farm-related data from a longitudinal study involving 4860 Holstein dairy cows on six farms in Germany during 2015–2016. We designed and investigated various statistical models and chose a logistic regression model with mixed effects capable of detecting lameness with a sensitivity of 77%. Our results demonstrate the potential of automated animal surveillance and hold the promise of significantly improving lameness detection approaches in dairy livestock

Influences on the activity and lying behavior of lactating dairy cows with particular attention to lameness

Lameness, which is usually the cause of a painful claw disease, continues to be the third most common reason for culling on dairy-producing farms in Germany. Claw diseases are not only painful, affecting both health and well-being of the animals, they are also often diagnosed too late. In order to counteract resulting financial and performance losses and additionally increase animal welfare, the earliest possible detection of lameness and subsequent treatment of the cause of lameness are essential. Despite more than 70% of all farmers being willing to eliminate this malady and improve hoof health, lameness prevalence is often underestimated. In order to support the farmer as good as possible and at the same time meet the requirements of ever-advancing herd management, sensor-assisted lameness detection should be ensured, because the earliest possible detection and treatment of lameness can significantly reduce the costs of a dairy farm and benefit individual animal welfare. In the first presented study data on the lying behavior of dairy cows with regard to animal-physiological, environmental and management-based influences were analyzed in order to make it available for further lameness research. It was found that above all the daily lying time was influenced by the lactation number, the lactation status, the oestrus and the milking frequency. Therefore, these factors should be taken into account in future models as well. A second study has shown that there is a causal relationship between the walking speed of dairy cows and hoof health. Lame cows had a significantly slower walking speed than non-lame animals, so the integration of running speed into a predictive model is considered meaningful. Numerous sensor systems enable an accurate and continuous monitoring of the health status of the dairy cows. The combination of data from different sensor systems enables the farmer to accurately monitor the health status of each individual animal in real time. In this way, the farmer is able to meet the demands of society for increased animal welfare in modern dairy farms

A cell biological approach to studying lameness in the dairy cow

This thesis describes a cell biological approach to studying lameness in the dairy cow. Lameness has been associated with altered keratinisation of the epidermis of the bovine hoof. Claw tissue was obtained by an in vivo claw biopsy technique. The biopsies were cultured in the presence of L-[35S]-methionine and [3H]-thymidine for measurement of protein synthesis and cell proliferation respectively. The influence of nutritional and environmental stressors on keratinisation in the claw was investigated. Protein synthesis was found to be significantly higher after challenge with these factors. It was not clear, however, if this was an effect of challenge or the biopsy procedure itself. Physiological and endocrinological changes associated with pregnancy and lactation also appeared to have an effect on claw keratinisation. In a long-term developmental study of first-calving heifers changes in cell proliferation and protein synthesis were related to reproductive state. A dramatic seasonal effect on claw cell biology was also demonstrated. The keratinocytes were actively proliferating and keratinising during the summer months but were quiescent during the winter. A final study investigated the cell biological changes which occur in the claw during the onset, development and recovery stages of weight-bearing challenge and the effects of concrete flooring. During challenge cell proliferation increased significantly in claw subjected to weight-bearing. The tissue may have been responding to challenge, however, the biopsy procedure itself could also have had an effect due to the short-time period between samplings. To conclude, altered keratinisation in the claw may be related to physiological and endocrinological changes associated with season and reproduction. However, changes in management may also be important and further investigation is required

Evaluation of different hair characteristics and the impact of liver abscess presence on stress related physical and physiological parameters associated with well-being in beef feedlot steers

2019 Summer.Includes bibliographical references.Physiological and behavioral parameters are commonly used to assess cattle welfare. The overall objective of these studies was to understand the impact of animal-based characteristics and the presence of a metabolic disease on the overall well-being of beef feedlot steers through the measurement of physical and physiological parameters. The objective of Experiment 1 was to determine the impact of hair color and length, and animal age on hair cortisol concentration in beef feedlot steers. Nineteen beef crossbred steers were used for this study. Seven of the steers (1,043 ± 6.8 kg; approx. 9 years of age) were fitted with ruminal fistulas and duodenal cannulas and classified as old steers. The other twelve steers (680 ± 4.5 kg; approx. 2.5 years of age) were fitted with only ruminal fistulas and classified as young steers. One steer was euthanized due to health problems within the first week of the study. Steers were categorized into one of three groups: old with black hair (OB, n = 3); old with white hair (OW, n = 3); young with black hair (YB, n = 12). Hair samples from the right rump region of each steer were collected throughout a period of six weeks from six different areas. Only samples collected during Week 6 were used for analyses. Older steers exhibited greater hair cortisol concentrations than younger steers (P < 0.001). The white hair of the old steers yielded higher concentrations of hair cortisol as compared to black hair from young steers (OW = 10.89 ± 2.03 pg/mg and YB = 0.98 ± 0.11 pg/mg, respectively; P < 0.001). Hair cortisol concentration was not impacted by duration of growth (P = 0.33). However, cortisol concentrations exhibited a weak, positive correlation with hair length (r = 0.33, P = 0.01). Additionally, the average hair growth per week of beef steers in the winter months was calculated to be 0.90 mm. Further research should be performed to improve our understanding of the effect of hair characteristics on hair cortisol concentrations as related to the well-being of cattle. The objective of Experiment 2 was to evaluate the relationship between liver abscess presence and stress-related parameters in beef feedlot cattle, utilizing both physiological (hair and serum cortisol, ocular temperature) and behavioral measurements (mobility scoring). The ultimate goal of the study was to establish an initial understanding of the welfare state of cattle with liver abscesses so that management practices can be maintained or changed to allow for the production of cattle to be continually practiced in an efficient and sustainable manner. Three hundred and sixty-three beef breed, Bos taurus feedlot cattle were categorized by the liver abscess score assigned during the slaughter process. The liver abscess scoring groups were: no liver abscess presence (NLA; n = 316); mild liver abscess presence (MLA; n = 21) and severe liver abscess presence (SLA; n = 24). Two animals were unable to be assigned liver abscess scores. No relationships were identified between the presence of liver abscesses and the measured parameters – ocular infrared thermography (P = 0.55), hair cortisol (P = 0.96) and serum cortisol (P = 0.21). Furthermore, hair color was not statistically significant when compared across liver abscess scores (P = 0.70). All animals exhibited normal mobility with no visual signs of lameness. The data indicate that under the conditions of this experiment, where adhesions to the body wall were not tabulated, liver abscesses did not impact measured stress-related outcomes. Additional research is necessary to understand the impact of liver abscess presence on other stress-related parameters associated with well-being in cattle. Further research should be performed to increase our understanding of feedlot cattle welfare, in relation to all associated factors – health and disease, environment, and management-related. Both studies also concluded that future research should be focused on establishing benchmark values of hair cortisol concentration for other applications and validations such as hair sampling techniques, metabolite analysis methodology, and potential health indicators