Cow welfare aspects in automatic milking systems

This paper deals with the aspects of cow welfare in automatic milking systems, using literature and observations from the Suitia research farm and the first Finnish private farms. The welfare of a cow is largely dependent on her stockperson, also in automatic milking systems. Cow traffic arrangements are decisive in the cow's welfare

Naudoillakin on eri-ikäisinä erilaiset sosiaaliset tarpeet

Nautaryhmän sosiaalinen järjestys eli hierarkia perustuu kahdenvälisiin suhteisiin. Näissä suhteissa toinen eläin on oppinut väistämään toista, ylempäänsä, ja toinen hallitsemaan toista, alempaansa. Vakaassa ryhmässä eläimet tuntevat ja muistavat toisensa hyvin ja tietävät asemansa suhteessa muihin. Sosiaaliset suhteet nautojen välillä helpottavat eläinten elämää. Ryhmässä yksilöiden paineensietokyky on parempi kuin yksin ollessa, lisäksi toisilta oppiminen jäljittelemisen ja tiedonsiirron kautta auttaa sopeutumaan tuotanto-oloihin.vo

Hoitaja on tärkeä vasikalle

Eläinten huono kohtelu, kuten lyöminen, potkiminen tai huutaminen, lisäävät eläinten pelkoa ihmisiä kohtaan. Samoin se vaikeuttaa eläinten myöhempää käsittelyä. Rapsuttaminen, rauhallinen puhe ja muu myönteinen käsittely puolestaan vähentävät eläinten ihmistä kohtaan tuntemaa pelkoa. Myös ryhmässä kasvaminen vaikuttaa eläinten käyttäytymiseen ja käsiteltävyyteen. Ryhmässä kasvaneita vasikoita voi nimittäin olla vaikeampi käsitellä kuin yksilökarsinassa kasvaneita.vo

Group management of young dairy cattle in relation to animal behaviour and welfare

This work consists of two collaborative research projects between INRA (France) and MTT (Finland) that examine the influence of group management on young cattle. The first work investigated whether pair versus individual housing of calves reduces their chronic stress reactions and whether positive contacts with humans could partly compensate for a lack of contact with conspecifics. In the second work, pair-housed heifers were either repeatedly regrouped or kept with their familiar peer. The consequences of repeated regrouping on heifers' social behaviour, emotional reactivity, physiology and production were analysed. Calves housed in pairs seem less stressed than calves housed individually, and regular positive contacts with a stockperson can not compensate for the lack of social partners. Pair-housed calves are less ready than their individually housed counterparts to approach humans. However, positive contacts with the stockperson make calves less fearful of people and improve handling both in the individual and pair-housing. Heifers housed in pairs and repeatedly regrouped are more aggressive between each other than heifers kept with the same penmate. However, repeated regrouping lowers heifers' behavioural reactivity in comparison with rearing heifers in stable pairs. Therefore, diversity in the social environment rather than stability appears to be more advantageous for heifers. In conclusion, group housing is beneficial for the welfare of calves and a variety of social experiences with conspecifics offers advantages for heifers. Cattle of different ages seem to have different social needs that must be fulfilled to ensure their welfare

Time budget and lying synchronisation of cows in conventional and automatic milking system departments

We compared the time budget and synchronised lying behaviour of cows in a conventional and in an automatic milking systems, both situating inside the same barn

Intuitive versus scientific knowledge of cattle behaviour

The intuitive understanding of the behaviour of cattle by farmers and their practical knowledge of how cattle should be handled was studied and compared with knowledge from animal behaviour science

Lehmän hyvinvointi automaattisessa lypsyjärjestelmässä

ei saatavill

Effect of colostrum feeding method and presence of dam on the sleep, rest and sucking behaviour of newborn calves

"In rats, sucking milk reduces anxiety and promotes non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and in calves it induces resting but the effect on sleep is unknown. Here, we investigated how calves' sleep was affected by colostrum feeding methods. Forty-one calves were blocked by birth date and randomly allotted within blocks to the experimental treatments. Calves were housed for four days either with their dam (DAM) or individually with warm colostrum feeding (2 L four times a day) from either a teat bucket (TEAT) or an open bucket (BUCKET). DAM calves suckled their dam freely. Calves' sleeping and sucking behaviour was filmed continuously for 48 h at the ages of two and three days. Behavioural sleep (BS) was defined as calves resting at least 30 s with their head still and raised (non-rapid eye movement) or with their head against their body or the ground (rapid eye movement, REM). Latency from the end of colostrum feeding to the start of BS was recorded. We compared behaviour of TEAT calves with that of DAM and BUCKET calves using mixed models. Milk meal duration was significantly longer for TEAT calves than for BUCKET calves (mean +/- S.E.M.; 8.3 +/- 0.6 min vs. 5.2 +/- 0.6 min), but equal to that of DAM calves. We found no effect of feeding method on the duration of daily BS (12 h 59 min I h 38 min) but we found a tendency for the daily amount of NREM sleep; BUCKET calves had less NREM sleep per day than TEAT calves (6 h 18 min vs. 7 h 48 min, S.E.M. = 45 min) and also longer latencies from milk ingestion to BS (21.9 +/- 2.0 min vs. 16.2 +/- 2.0 min). DAM calves slept longer bouts than TEAT calves (10.8 +/- 1.0 min vs. 8.3 +/- 1.0 min) and less often (78 +/- 4 vs. 92 +/- 4). Sucking colostrum from a teat bucket compared with drinking from an open""In rats, sucking milk reduces anxiety and promotes non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and in calves it induces resting but the effect on sleep is unknown. Here, we investigated how calves' sleep was affected by colostrum feeding methods. Forty-one calves were blocked by birth date and randomly allotted within blocks to the experimental treatments. Calves were housed for four days either with their dam (DAM) or individually with warm colostrum feeding (2 L four times a day) from either a teat bucket (TEAT) or an open bucket (BUCKET). DAM calves suckled their dam freely. Calves' sleeping and sucking behaviour was filmed continuously for 48 h at the ages of two and three days. Behavioural sleep (BS) was defined as calves resting at least 30 s with their head still and raised (non-rapid eye movement) or with their head against their body or the ground (rapid eye movement, REM). Latency from the end of colostrum feeding to the start of BS was recorded. We compared behaviour of TEAT calves with that of DAM and BUCKET calves using mixed models. Milk meal duration was significantly longer for TEAT calves than for BUCKET calves (mean +/- S.E.M.; 8.3 +/- 0.6 min vs. 5.2 +/- 0.6 min), but equal to that of DAM calves. We found no effect of feeding method on the duration of daily BS (12 h 59 min I h 38 min) but we found a tendency for the daily amount of NREM sleep; BUCKET calves had less NREM sleep per day than TEAT calves (6 h 18 min vs. 7 h 48 min, S.E.M. = 45 min) and also longer latencies from milk ingestion to BS (21.9 +/- 2.0 min vs. 16.2 +/- 2.0 min). DAM calves slept longer bouts than TEAT calves (10.8 +/- 1.0 min vs. 8.3 +/- 1.0 min) and less often (78 +/- 4 vs. 92 +/- 4). Sucking colostrum from a teat bucket compared with drinking from an open""In rats, sucking milk reduces anxiety and promotes non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and in calves it induces resting but the effect on sleep is unknown. Here, we investigated how calves' sleep was affected by colostrum feeding methods. Forty-one calves were blocked by birth date and randomly allotted within blocks to the experimental treatments. Calves were housed for four days either with their dam (DAM) or individually with warm colostrum feeding (2 L four times a day) from either a teat bucket (TEAT) or an open bucket (BUCKET). DAM calves suckled their dam freely. Calves' sleeping and sucking behaviour was filmed continuously for 48 h at the ages of two and three days. Behavioural sleep (BS) was defined as calves resting at least 30 s with their head still and raised (non-rapid eye movement) or with their head against their body or the ground (rapid eye movement, REM). Latency from the end of colostrum feeding to the start of BS was recorded. We compared behaviour of TEAT calves with that of DAM and BUCKET calves using mixed models. Milk meal duration was significantly longer for TEAT calves than for BUCKET calves (mean +/- S.E.M.; 8.3 +/- 0.6 min vs. 5.2 +/- 0.6 min), but equal to that of DAM calves. We found no effect of feeding method on the duration of daily BS (12 h 59 min I h 38 min) but we found a tendency for the daily amount of NREM sleep; BUCKET calves had less NREM sleep per day than TEAT calves (6 h 18 min vs. 7 h 48 min, S.E.M. = 45 min) and also longer latencies from milk ingestion to BS (21.9 +/- 2.0 min vs. 16.2 +/- 2.0 min). DAM calves slept longer bouts than TEAT calves (10.8 +/- 1.0 min vs. 8.3 +/- 1.0 min) and less often (78 +/- 4 vs. 92 +/- 4). Sucking colostrum from a teat bucket compared with drinking from an open"Peer reviewe

Development of social behaviour and importance of social relations in calves

We concluded that the preference for peers met at two weeks of age can be seen in proximity of the calves. However, calves can form stable relations at least until the age of 14 weeks. These relations reduce aggressive behaviour, activity and frequency of vocalization, and help calves to cope with new and potentially stressful situations

Safety and animal handling practices among women dairy operators

v2011o