Behavior of Dairy Cows in Response to Different Barn Cooling Systems

Abstract

Forty-two dairy cows were subdivided in three groups of 14 cows each. Each pen of cows was provided with a feeding area, a freestall area, and an external paddock. The study was conducted in an experimental barn located in the Po Valley of Italy. The cows were observed during summer 1995 for milk yield and quality and for their behavior (movements and residence time in the different areas of each pen) under different microclimatic conditions (temperature, relative humidity, light exposure, air speed). The feeding and freestall areas were arranged with: (1) fans in the first pen; (2) fans and misting in the second pen; and 3) the third pen was used as control. During the summer months (from June to September) microclimatic conditions, milk yield, and cow position (monitored with video cameras and automatic still cameras placed in different areas of the barn) were recorded. During the hottest period, lower milk yield reductions were recorded for the cows housed in pens with fans or with fans and misting. This result was consistent with the behavior of the cows inside experimental pens that spent longer periods of resting time in the feeding and freestall areas, and showed overall behavior similar to that observed during a cooler period. Some cows also lay in the wet dirty areas of the pens or crowded in a well-ventilated place. The results of this study confirm the usefulness of cooling systems for cows in a warm climate.

Preferências Térmicas De Vacas Leiteiras Em Sistema De Confinamento Freestall

“…A observação das vacas foi feita através da visualização dos vídeos, utilizando o método adotado por OVERTON et al (2003), FRAZZI et al (2000), GAWORSKI et al(2003) e MÜLLER & SCHRADER, 2005, por um período de 10min para cada observação, para subsidiar a análise da ocupação dos locais, pelas vacas leiteiras. As imagens foram observadas em seis vídeos distintos, em dois períodos, em torno das 07h:00min e das 15h:30min, por 10min, denominandose esta obsersação de "visual espaçada".…”

“…Em períodos quentes do dia, as vacas geralmente preferem deitar-se em corredores molhados, a estar nas camas (FRAZZI et al, 2000), provavelmente para se beneficiarem do resfriamento evaporativo. Os animais diminuem as atividades nas horas mais quentes do dia, permanecendo deitados na área de descanso (BLACKSHAW & BLACKSHAW, 1994).…”

Análise de imagens para a caracterização das atividades de vacas leiteiras dentro do galpão de confinamento

“…Resultado similar foi descrito por FRAZZI et al (2000), que encontraram que a distribuição espacial dos animais, dentro do galpão de freestall, reflete sua preferência, em função de variáveis do ambiente interno.…”

On the influence of the alternation of two different cooling systems on dairy cow daily activities

“…Another study focused on the comparison among different kind of cooling systems and analysed the differences in thermoregulatory responses of cows, but without any analysis of the behaviour (CorreaCalderon et al, 2004). Further two studies on the efficacy of different cooling systems included cow behaviour analysis and were carried out in free-stall dairy houses with direct access to a large unshaded hard court paddock (Frazzi et al, 2000;Calegari et al, 2012). Specifically, the last one was carried out in a free-stall dairy house equipped with two different kind of cooling systems installed in the feeding alley and in the resting area, respectively.…”