Heat stress effects on Holstein dairy cows’ rumination

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between temperature-humidity index (THI) and rumination time (RT) in order to possibly exploit it as a useful tool for animal welfare improvement. During summer 2015 (1 June to 31 August), data from an Italian Holstein dairy farm located in the North of Italy were collected along with environmental data (i.e. ambient temperature and relative humidity) recorded with a weather station installed inside the barn. Rumination data were collected through the Heatime® HR system (SCR Engineers Ltd., Hadarim, Netanya, Israel), an automatic system composed of a neck collar with a Tag that records the RT and activity of each cow. A significant negative correlation was observed between RT and THI. Mixed linear models were fitted, including animal and test day as random effects, and parity, milk production level and date of last calving as fixed effects. A statistically significant effect of THI on RT was identified, with RT decreasing as THI increased.

Evaluation of the Level of Length of Eating Time, Chewing and Parameters of Daily Increased Activity Depending on the Breed, the Lactation Number and the Period of the Year

“…The effect of the season has a significant effect on the feed intake and daily milk production parameters evaluated by us. Negative changes in chewing parameters are attributed by other authors to the heat stress that dairy cows suffer during the summer months (VI-VIII), when on average dairy cows chewed the shortest time in our work (Dado and Allen, 1994;Acatinai et al, 2010;Bernabucci et al, 2010;Soriani et al, 2013, Moretti et al, 2017. In contrast, in the winter (XII-II), dairy cows chewed in our work for a long time, which is agreed with other studies.…”

“…A slightly higher correlation (r = 0.384) than in our study, but also a positive correlation between chewing time and daily milk, is described in the study by Antanatias et al (2018). Stone et al (2017) reported a moderate correlation between milk yield and chewing time at (r = 0.22) (Antanaitis et al, 2018;Moretti et al, 2017), with our calculated correlations between good chewing and performance is slightly lower (r = 0.166).…”

Diet change from a system combining total mixed ration and pasture to confinement system (total mixed ration) on milk production and composition, blood biochemistry and behavior of dairy cows

“…Rumination activity is influenced mainly by diet characteristics (Erina et al, 2013;Welch & Smith, 1970) therefore the decrease in rumination activity after the change of system may be due to changes in the composition of the diet. But also, rumination activity is negatively affected by different stressors, such as high stocking density, heat stress, and acute stress (Grant & Albright, 2001;Herskin, Munksgaard, & Ladewig, 2004;Kadzere, Murphy, Silanikove, & Maltz, 2002;Moallem, Altmark, Lehrer, & Arieli, 2010;Moretti, Biffani, Chessa, & Bozzi, 2017). In addition, more stressed cows (with greater serum cortisol concentration) spent less time ruminating (Bristow & Holmes, 2007;Lindström, Redbo, & Uvnäs-Moberg, 2001).…”

Effects of Climatic Conditions on the Lying Behavior of a Group of Primiparous Dairy Cows

“…Heat stress is an important threat to cattle breeding, especially in the Mediterranean basin [29], where the combination of high temperatures and high humidity can result in harsh conditions for dairy cows. This situation can be exacerbated by air velocity and the intensity of solar radiation, particularly in unshaded areas of a barn [25].…”