Making tiestalls more comfortable: IV. Increasing stall bed length and decreasing manger wall height to heal injuries and increase lying time in dairy cows housed in deep-bedded tiestalls

McPherson, Sarah; Vasseur, E.

doi:10.3168/jds.2019-17668

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Possible causes for the cranial-ventral lesions are the type of stalls (stalls versus straw yards) and the dimensions of the stalls, especially the width, and bedding. A significant correlation between stall width and the occurrence of injuries in both tie stalls and free stalls has been demonstrated [1,29]. Abele et al [20] found that in some tie-stall farms, over 35% of cows had rib swellings, and a PhD study in the UK [23] looking at 2000 cows from 13 dairy herds reported a prevalence of palpable swellings at the costochondral junctions from the seventh to ninth ribs to be 3.6% to 26.8%.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stall characteristics have been proven to be related to the occurrence of different kinds of lesions and poor welfare [1][2][3]29]. Possible causes for the cranial-ventral lesions are the type of stalls (stalls versus straw yards) and the dimensions of the stalls, especially the width, and bedding.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The bovine thoracic cavity is protected by 13 ribs on each side [4]. Some areas of these bones are easily exposed to trauma, which can be self-inflicted, caused by other animals, or by collisions with housing structures (stall dividing rails, for example) [1][2][3]. The location of the lesions may depend on the cause, meaning that various risk factors often come into play, and, consequently, different farms may have their own more prevalent injury location.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Stall design plays a major role in the prevalence of many skin and muscular-skeletal lesions in dairy cows [1][2][3] and this impact may be more severe if lying down is not easy, as it happens with lame animals. These lesions have been described in various parts of the limbs (e.g., carpus, hock, and neck) but very rarely have ribs been included.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Rib Lesions in Dairy Cows

Stilwell,

Azevedo,

Nunes

2024

Animals

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Unilateral or bilateral hard bony enlargement is sometimes palpated over dairy cows’ ribs. Although usually not painful, these injuries may have welfare and economic implications and can be used as indicators of poor husbandry conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of rib lesions in dairy cows kept in intensive systems and to identify the risk factors either associated with the housing or with the animal’s clinical history. We examined the ribs of all 1319 lactating cows from 22 Portuguese dairy farms. In each farm, housing and animal potential risk factors were recorded. Additionally, clinical examination, including lameness scoring, was performed on all cows showing rib lesions. The global rib lesions’ prevalence per farm was 2.3%, ranging from 0% (n = 12 farms) to 6.1% (n = 1 farm). Lesions were found in cows with an average of 3.7 lactations. The main farm risk factors were narrow stalls; insufficient feeding places; insufficient cubicles; and the presence of an exposed curb at the back end of the stalls. Rib lesions were associated with a history of lameness but not with lame cows at the moment of examination or a history of being a downer cow. In conclusion, rib lesions’ prevalence can be high in some farms, being significantly associated with cubicle design and lameness. By being associated with chronic lameness and inadequate housing, rib lesions should be included in dairy cows’ welfare assessment protocols.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Rib Lesions in Dairy Cows

Stilwell,

Azevedo,

Nunes

2024

Animals

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“…For Adopters, this was compounded with a slight decrease in the tie-rail forward position, leading to the observed decrease in the lunge space target score. According to a previous study, the interaction between manger wall height and bed length may influence cow comfort level during lying and ease of motion during transitions in posture (McPherson and Vasseur 2021), which could potentially result in alterations in the distribution of feeding and of rumination bouts. While no researchers have previously associated manger wall height with BCS directly, it is also possible for the reduction in lunge space resulting from a higher manger wall and a tie rail further back to have led to a reduction in feed access for the cows.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reassessing cow comfort measures on Canadian dairy farms after a recommendation of improvements

et al. 2023

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In a previous study (Assessment 1), an on-farm assessment tool was used to establish a standard across 60 Quebec dairy farms using animal-, stall-, and management-based measures of cow comfort. The objective of the present follow-up study (Assessment 2) was to perform a reassessment using an identical cow comfort assessment tool on a subset of the original farms expected to benefit most from applying the recommended changes, and to determine the effects of the modifications on cow comfort. From the subsample of farms, 24 reported applying stall modifications based on recommendations from Assessment 1 with the aim of promoting cow comfort (Adopters), while the remaining 10 farms did not (Non-adopters). The assessment tool included 19 target areas, grouped into 9 critical areas based on measures of cow comfort that considered: housing, feed-water, health, and welfare. The on-farm report of Assessment 1 was found to increase producer awareness of issues in cow comfort measures on farms, as shown by an improvement in stall design according to recommendations based on cow body dimensions and reduced injury prevalence. Routine reassessment of cow comfort measures may be important to use in supporting target achievement improvements as part of welfare improvement strategies.

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