Measurements of trackways as a method for assessing locomotion in dairy cows

The aim of this study was to assess whether locomotion parameters obtained by measurements of cow trackways are reliable and sufficiently sensitive to describe locomotion in non-lame and lame dairy cows on different floors. Thirty-two non-lame cows were used to study the reliability of the trackway measurements. The cows were tested twice over three weeks and measurements from four consecutive strides were used during each test session. To study the effect of different floors on locomotion, 25 non-lame cows and eleven cows with different lameness degrees were tested on five different surfaces: solid and slatted concrete, both with and without 20 mm thick elastic rubber mats, and wet, compacted sand. The reliability of the measurements varied from moderate to low, with measurements relating to inter-limb coordination being most inconsistent. The slippery slatted concrete floor caused restricted locomotion in so far as the strides were significantly shorter here than on all the other floors. Use of yielding rubber mats resulted in a locomotion more similar to that on the sand path. Lameness had an effect on shortening strides and steps, but in most cases the animals’ reaction to different floorings was similar in lame and healthy cows. Step asymmetry due to lameness was decreased when cows walked on the soft surfaces. It was concluded that a trackway measurement system is a suitable method to use in field locomotion studies and that the system is useful in identifying differences in kinematics on different floor types. Since there is a relatively high inconsistency in cow walking it is beneficial to use measurements of several strides to obtain a representative gait pattern

Use and non-use values to explain farmers’ motivation of the provision of animal welfare

This paper examines how differences in motivation in terms of use and non-use values affect the choice of animal welfare improvement practices. The application is focused on Swedish dairy farmers’ preferences for different flooring systems’ attributes. Using multiple indicators and multiple causes and hybrid latent class models, the findings demonstrate that dairy farmers who favour flooring solutions that enhance farm animal welfare are motivated by a complex set of both use values relating to internal and external pressures and non-use values linked to animal freedom, ethical codes of farmers and building business-to-customer relationships. The findings imply that measures to stimulate more uptake of animal welfare improvement practices can be better targeted by using insights into motivational constructs of farmers and by adopting policy communication that captures the whole breadth of use and non-use motivational constructs held by farmers

Dairy farmers' heterogeneous preferences for animal welfare-enhancing flooring properties: A mixed logit approach applied in Sweden

In this paper, we examine preferences for flooring properties that enhance animal welfare in dairy cattle barns among a sample of Swedish dairy farmers. The findings reveal that respondents differ in their choice of flooring properties that improve farm animal welfare. The findings also show that they consider low-slip risk and the softness of floors to be the most important properties. Findings from a latent variable model revealed that floor packaging and installation, workability and animal welfare are important factors that explain the respondents' preferences for different types of floors. The findings demonstrate that dairy farmers who prefer soft, low-slip and less abrasive floors are influenced by the way the floors are incorporated and installed into the building design, the ease with which other tasks can be performed after installing the flooring and the welfare that the specific flooring provides for the animals. The findings contribute relevant insights that are needed for the promotion and adoption of farm management practices that improve animal welfare

Kinematic gait characteristics of straight line walk in clinically sound dairy cows

The aim of this study is to describe the kinematic gait characteristics of straight line walk in clinically sound dairy cows using body mounted Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) at multiple anatomical locations. The temporal parameters used are speed and non-speed normalized stance duration, bipedal and tripedal support durations, maximal protraction and retraction angles of the distal limbs and vertical displacement curves of the upper body. Gait analysis was performed by letting 17 dairy cows walk in a straight line at their own chosen pace while equipped with IMU sensors on tubera sacrale, left and right tuber coxae (LTC and RTC), back, withers, head, neck and all four lower limbs. Data intervals with stride by stride regularity were selected based on video data. For temporal parameters, the median was calculated and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated based on linear mixed model (LMM) analysis, while for limb and vertical displacement curves, the median and most typical curves were calculated. The temporal parameters and distal limb angles showed consistent results with low variance and LMM analysis showed non-overlapping CI for all temporal parameters. The distal limb angle curves showed a larger and steeper retraction angle range for the distal front limbs compared with the hind limbs. The vertical displacement curves of the sacrum, withers, LTC and RTC showed a consistent sinusoidal pattern while the head, back and collar curves were less consistent and showed more variation between and within cows. This kinematic description might allow to objectively differentiate between normal and lame gait in the future and determine the best anatomical location for sensor attachment for lameness detection purposes

Effect of flooring system on locomotion comfort in dairy cows

The aim of the thesis was to study influence of different flooring systems on several aspects of locomotion of dairy cows. To assess the gait on different floors, trackway analysis was used. Cows walking on a hard, slippery surface had shorter strides, wider posture and asymmetric steps. A hard, slippery surface resulted in stride shortening, wider posture and asymmetric gait. Using soft rubber mats made gait patterns more similar to those on a natural yielding surface such as sand. When cows with moderate lameness walked on yielding surfaces their gait parameters associated with lameness were less pronounced than on hard concrete surfaces. Preference studies showed that the majority of cows preferred to walk and stand on soft rubber flooring rather than on concrete flooring. However, lame cows within the group did not show a stronger preference to walk on soft flooring than non-lame cows, presumably due to lower social rank compared to healthy herd mates. In order to assess the effects of long-term exposure to flooring systems differing in hardness and abrasiveness installed in the walking and standing areas an experimental study was carried out. Claw conformation, claw horn growth and wear rates, as well as static weight and pressure distribution were evaluated. On a rougher flooring (mastic asphalt), exaggerated wear, highest growth rate and a loss of sole concavity was seen, and most weight was exerted to the sole area of the claws. When rubber-equipped feed-stalls were used together with mastic asphalt in alleys cows showed reduced wear, positive net growth and reduced loss of the concavity compared to cows housed on asphalt alley surfaces. In comparison with asphalt flooring, rubber mats on the alleys resulted in lower growth and wear rates, increased net growth, preserved sole concavity and the bulb and wall area of the claw carried the most weight. Rubber mats together with little exposure to an abrasive asphalt surface resulted in claw horn net growth rates similar to that observed on aged, low abrasive concrete slatted floor. It was concluded that soft flooring provides good locomotion comfort for dairy cows but a moderate abrasion is also required to prevent claw overgrowth