TECHNIQUES OF MEASURING HEART RATE IN CATTLE

The intensive animal breeding systems can cause severe environment degradation. However, the highly productive animals are extremely sensitive to the environmental changes. The animal welfare can be in direct contradiction with the need for highly intensive and economically successful milk production. The research is aimed at complementing the method of establishing the stress in calves, race heifers, fattened cattle and milk-cows with different body masses. Measuring of heart rate is one of painless measurements of physiological parameters of stress and, from the point of view of animals it has many advantages over the measurements including taking of blood samples. For measuring the heart rate of different categories of cattle without interference into their body we have tested the usefulness of special apparatuses used worldwide by top sportsmen during training for following up, measuring and monitoring the heart rate. These are Polar monitors of the heart rate, made by Finnish company Polar Electro Oy and working wirelessly with ECG precision. The receiver counts the heart rate on the basis of pulse-to-pulse time average algorithms in 5, 15 or 60-second intervals. The computer interface ensures magnetic transfer of measured and saved data on animals into a PC where the analysis of each collected data file follows. The used type of transmitter "Polar sport tester profi" having two electrodes in an airtight sealed frame has enabled us to obtain a good signal on calves of up to 180 kg body mass. Periodic response in case of young cattle of up to 280 kg body mass has been registered only if electrolyte was added between the animal skin and the feeler. By further modifications and tests of the mentioned apparatuses the expected response has been reached also on adult animals. We found that use of these apparatuses on animals did not have any influence on special animal acting behaviour. The production of milk and meat in herds did not change during the test

USPOREDBA DOBROBITI KRAVA MUZARA U VEZANOM I SLOBODNOM UZGOJU

Milk production on Slovenian farms is an important economic activity that underwent essential changes after the introduction of the European Union standards. Sound state of health and welfare of dairy cows remain the essential conditions for the quality of milk and dairy products, as well as important public health aspects. This paper presents the currently applicable welfare standards for farm animals, the European priority activities in the field of welfare of farm animals, and the results of inquiry into the state of play in dairy cow housing systems in the narrower north-eastern territory of Slovenia. Ten free housing system dairy farms and ten tether system dairy farms were inspected, compared and assessed according to the Austrian method of the Animal Needs Index (ANI) for cattle. ANI is a relevant criterion for assessing the adequacy of husbandry systems, based on graded point system. The five areas of influence impacting animal welfare were assessed, including: affording movement (‘Locomotion’), affording social interaction (‘Social interaction’), type and condition of flooring (‘Flooring’), light and air conditions (‘Light and Air’), including ventilation and noise level, and quality of care for the animals (‘Stockmanship’). Adequacy of housing conditions was evaluated and compared between the free housing and tether systems for dairy cows. The paper further presents the state of health of animals examined and the scope of diseases detected, including technopathies and injuries, reasons for culling dairy cows and herd structure by the end of 2009, in either of the two husbandry systems. The advantages and disadvantages of the method used for assessing the adequacy of each husbandry system are presented as well.Proizvodnja mlijeka na privatnim farmama goveda u Sloveniji je značajna gospodarska djelatnost, koja je zbog uvođenja evropskih propisa doživjela značajne promijene. Zdravlje i dobrobit krava predstavljaju osnovne uvjete za kakvoću mlijeka i mliječnih proizvoda a uz to su i značajni činjenici zdravlja čovjeka. U radu su predstavljeni aktualni standardi o dobrobiti domaćih životinja, značajne europske aktivnosti na području dobrobiti i rezultati analiziranog stanja na užem području sjeverno-istočne Slovenije. Praćeno je i analizirano 10 privatnih farmi sa slobodnim uzgojem krava muzara i 10 s uzgojem na vezu. Ocijenjena je kvaliteta uzgoja prema austrijskoj metodi ANI, koja predstavlja mjerilo za ocjenu primjerenosti uzgoja na temelju sustava bodova. Ocijenjeno je svih pet utjecajnih područja značajnih za dobrobit životinja i to: sloboda kretanja, socijalni kontakti, stanje podova, osvjetljenje, ventilacija, buka te kvaliteta skrbi za životinje. Ocijenjena je adekvatnost uzgoja i napravljena usporedba između slobodnog i vezanog načina uzgoja. Analizirano je zdravstveno stanje pregledanih životinja i predstavljen opseg bolesti, tehnopatija i ozljeda, uzroci za izlučivanje krava muzara i sastav stada na istraživanim farmama krajem 2009 godine. Predstavljene su prednosti i nedostaci metode za ocjenjivanje kvalitete uzgoja životinja