The physiological and productivity effects of heat stress in cattle : a review

A trend of global warming has been observed over the last few years and it has often been dis-cussed whether there is an effect on livestock. numerous studies have been published about heat stress in cattle and its influence on the physiology and productivity of animals. Preventing the negative effects of heat stress on cattle is essential to ensure animal welfare, health and produc-tivity. Monitoring and analysis of physiological parameters lead to a better understanding of the adaptation processes. This can help to determine the risk of climate change and its effects on performance characteristics, e.g. milk yield and reproduction. This, in turn, makes it possible to develop effective measures to mitigate the impact of heat load on animals. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current literature. studies especially about the physiological and productive changes due to heat stress in cattle have been summarised in this review. The direction of future research into the aspect of heat stress in cattle is also indicate

The effects of heat stress on the behaviour of dairy cows – a review

Heat stress in livestock is a function of macro- A nd microclimatic factors, their duration and intensity, the environments where they occur and the biological characteristics of the animal. Due to intense metabolic processes, high-producing dairy cows are highly vulnerable to the effects of heat stress. Disturbances in their thermoregulatory capability are reflected by behavioural, physiological and production changes. Expression of thermoregulatory behaviour such as reduction of activity and feed intake, searching for cooler places or disturbances in reproductive behaviours may be very important indicators of animal welfare. Especially maintenance of standing or lying position in dairy cattle may be a valuable marker of the negative environmental impact. Highly mechanized farms with large numbers of animals have the informatic system that can detect alterations automatically, while small family farms cannot afford this type of equipment. Therefore, observing and analysing behavioural changes to achieve a greater understanding of heat stress issue may be a key factor for developing the effective strategies to minimize the effects of heat stress in cattle. The aim of this review is to present the state of knowledge, over the last years, regarding behavioural changes in dairy cows (Bos taurus) exposed to heat stress conditions and discuss some herd management strategies providing mitigation of the overheat consequences

Relationship between THI level and dairy cows’ behaviour during summer period

The presented study determining the relationship between the Temperature Humidity Index (THI) value during the summer months (June–August) and daily behaviour of 40 Holstein–Friesian dairy cows, including the length of standing, laying bouts and locomotor activity. Behaviour observations were conducted on a preferences test concerning their choice to time and place of rest with respect to time duration of THI: neutral (maximum 3 h with THI = 68), warm (time of THI > 68 occurrence lasted less than 12 h) and hot (time of THI > 68 occurrence lasted longer than 12 h). Obtained results was processed using analysis of the Spearman’s correlation coefficient with significant at p < .05. The results showed a decrease in daily total lying time between the neutral and hot periods from 9.9 to 7.8 h/d. Along with the increase in THI by 1 unit between the warm and hot periods, there was observed a decrease in total lying time by 38 min/d in the cubicles. With an increase in the THI was also observed an increase by 15 min/d in the lying cows in the manure alleys during the night-time. During the warm and hot periods, the cows’ activity showed a negative correlation with the increasing THI. Cows changed their behaviour during the summer depending on the prevailing environmental conditions. The behavioural studies on cows, without taking into account the variability of microclimate conditions, can lead to their inaccuracy and the misrepresentation of their results

Effects of Environmental Enrichment on Pig Welfare—A Review

Good husbandry conditions on farms is of key importance for assuring animal welfare. One of the most important legal documents regulating the rules of maintaining pigs is the Directive 2008/120/EC, which states that group-housed pigs should have access to litter or other materials that provide exploration and occupation. Released in 2016, the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2016/336 on the application of the Council Directive 2008/120/EC characterizes the various categories of materials that may be used to improve animal welfare. According to the document, straw is considered as an optimal material for pig housing, however, materials categorized as suboptimal (e.g., wood bark) and materials of marginal interest (e.g., plastic toys) are often used in practice and scientific research. As such, the aim of this paper is to review and systematize the current state of knowledge on the topic of the impact of environmental enrichment on pig welfare. This article raises mainly issues, such as the effectiveness of the use of various enrichment on the reduction of undesirable behavior&mdash;tail biting; aggression; and stereotypies at the pre-weaning, post-weaning, and fattening stage of pig production

The Physiological and Productivity Effects of Heat Stress in Cattle – A Review

A trend of global warming has been observed over the last few years and it has often been dis-cussed whether there is an effect on livestock. numerous studies have been published about heat stress in cattle and its influence on the physiology and productivity of animals. Preventing the negative effects of heat stress on cattle is essential to ensure animal welfare, health and produc-tivity. Monitoring and analysis of physiological parameters lead to a better understanding of the adaptation processes. This can help to determine the risk of climate change and its effects on performance characteristics, e.g. milk yield and reproduction. This, in turn, makes it possible to develop effective measures to mitigate the impact of heat load on animals. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the current literature. studies especially about the physiological and productive changes due to heat stress in cattle have been summarised in this review. The direction of future research into the aspect of heat stress in cattle is also indicate

Use of Different Cooling Methods in Pig Facilities to Alleviate the Effects of Heat Stress—A Review

An increase in the frequency of hot periods, which has been observed over the past decades, determines the novel approach to livestock facilities improvement. The effects of heat stress are revealed in disorders in physiological processes, impaired immunity, changes in behaviour and decreases in animal production, thus implementation of cooling technologies is a key factor for alleviating these negative consequences. In pig facilities, various cooling methods have been implemented. Air temperature may be decreased by using adiabatic cooling technology such as a high-pressure fogging system or evaporative pads. In modern-type buildings large-surface evaporative pads may support a tunnel ventilation system. Currently a lot of attention has also been paid to developing energy- and water-saving cooling methods, using for example an earth-air or earth-to-water heat exchanger. The pigs&rsquo; skin surface may be cooled by using sprinkling nozzles, high-velocity air stream or conductive cooling pads. The effectiveness of these technologies is discussed in this article, taking into consideration the indicators of animal welfare such as respiratory rate, skin surface and body core temperature, performance parameters and behavioural changes

Dynamics of Microclimate Conditions in Freestall Barns During Winter – a Case Study from Poland

The climate changes observed in recent years as an increase in the average air temperature influence the microclimatic conditions in dairy barns not only in summer but also in winter. The heat emitted by cows, the orientation of buildings to the cardinal points and farm layout have substantial effect and are additional factors influencing the microclimate in the barns with curtain sidewalls. The aim of the present studies was to determine the effect of atmospheric air temperature and relative humidity on the selected parameters of the indoor microclimate in two neighboring freestall barns in winter. The air temperature and relative humidity sensors were positioned in the barns (A, B) and outdoors. The obtained results were compared with each other. The indoor air temperature recorded in two barns was higher than the outdoor temperature by an average of 2.4°C and 2.8°C, respectively. The greatest difference between the average indoor and the outdoor air temperature was 4.9°C. Daily analysis indicated that in warm days, the patterns of the air temperature and relative humidity changes were similar in both barns. In turn, during cold days, when the outdoor air temperature was below 0°C, there was a difference in temperature between both barns, which could result from the position of the buildings towards cardinal points and the heat emitted by cattle influencing the air temperature in the barn. The points where the temperature difference was the highest were located in the leeward part of the building, which was additionally sunlit during the midday hours. Thus, it is recommended to estimate the airflow velocity and sun exposure in different zones of the barn. This would also help to establish the guidelines for the design of new barns in the context of architectural and spatial solutions

The effects of heat stress on the behaviour of dairy cows – a review

Heat stress in livestock is a function of macro- A nd microclimatic factors, their duration and intensity, the environments where they occur and the biological characteristics of the animal. Due to intense metabolic processes, high-producing dairy cows are highly vulnerable to the effects of heat stress. Disturbances in their thermoregulatory capability are reflected by behavioural, physiological and production changes. Expression of thermoregulatory behaviour such as reduction of activity and feed intake, searching for cooler places or disturbances in reproductive behaviours may be very important indicators of animal welfare. Especially maintenance of standing or lying position in dairy cattle may be a valuable marker of the negative environmental impact. Highly mechanized farms with large numbers of animals have the informatic system that can detect alterations automatically, while small family farms cannot afford this type of equipment. Therefore, observing and analysing behavioural changes to achieve a greater understanding of heat stress issue may be a key factor for developing the effective strategies to minimize the effects of heat stress in cattle. The aim of this review is to present the state of knowledge, over the last years, regarding behavioural changes in dairy cows (Bos taurus) exposed to heat stress conditions and discuss some herd management strategies providing mitigation of the overheat consequences

Effect of Heat Stress on the Behavior of Lactating Cows Housed in Compost Barns: A Systematic Review

In this study, we performed a systematic review to assess the effect of thermal stress on the behavior of lactating cows housed in compost barns. Peer-reviewed articles written in English that evaluated the effect of heat stress on the behavior of lactating cows raised in compost barns were used in this systematic review. The resulting articles (38) underwent a four-step PRISMA appraisal process and resulted in six articles that fitted our inclusion criteria. Our review highlighted that the temperature and humidity index prevailed among the studies to evaluate thermal comfort. Regarding the behavior, heat stress promoted decreases in feed events and the time that cows spent lying down. In contrast, there was an increase in events of visiting the water trough, the number of steps, agonistic behavior, and dyspnea. In conclusion, heat stress affected the behavior of lactating cows raised in compost barns; however, some care is needed in extrapolating our findings since this is a recent research area and further studies are needed

Effect of Heat Stress on the Behavior of Lactating Cows Housed in Compost Barns: A Systematic Review

In this study, we performed a systematic review to assess the effect of thermal stress on the behavior of lactating cows housed in compost barns. Peer-reviewed articles written in English that evaluated the effect of heat stress on the behavior of lactating cows raised in compost barns were used in this systematic review. The resulting articles (38) underwent a four-step PRISMA appraisal process and resulted in six articles that fitted our inclusion criteria. Our review highlighted that the temperature and humidity index prevailed among the studies to evaluate thermal comfort. Regarding the behavior, heat stress promoted decreases in feed events and the time that cows spent lying down. In contrast, there was an increase in events of visiting the water trough, the number of steps, agonistic behavior, and dyspnea. In conclusion, heat stress affected the behavior of lactating cows raised in compost barns; however, some care is needed in extrapolating our findings since this is a recent research area and further studies are needed