Performance and Welfare of Dairy Cows in an Alternative Housing System in Minnesota

Abstract

The compost bedded pack dairy barn is an alternative housing system for lactating cows that has received increased attention in the last 2 yr. No descriptive data were available about this housing system. Therefore, a study of 12 compost dairy barns in Minnesota was conducted between late June 2005 and September 2005. The objectives of this study were to describe the housing system, identify management practices used in these herds, observe cow welfare, analyze herd performance and udder health prior to and following the change in housing system, and measure producer satisfaction with the system. Producers were interviewed on various aspects related to the housing system and herd management, samples of milk were collected, and cows were scored for locomotion, body condition, hygiene, and hock lesions. In addition, historical bulk tank information and Dairy Herd Improvement Association data were collected when available. At the time of the visit, the Dairy Herd Improvement Association somatic cell count (SCC) was 325,000 +/- 172,000 cells/mL, rolling herd average was 10,457 +/- 1,138 kg per cow, and herd size was 73 +/- 35.5 lactating cows. The body condition score was 3.04 +/- 0.11, the cow hygiene score was 2.66 +/- 0.19, and 7.8% of all cows were clinically lame (locomotion score > or = 3 on a 1 to 5 scale). No hock lesions were present on 74.9% of the cows; 24.1% of cows had a mild lesion (hair loss), and 1.0% had a severe lesion (swollen hock). Historical analysis of the bulk tank SCC showed that 3 out of the 7 herds analyzed had a significant reduction in bulk tank SCC when compared with the previous housing system. Mastitis infection rates decreased significantly by 12% on 6 of the 9 farms analyzed. Reproductive performance significantly improved for 4 out of the 7 herds analyzed, with 25.9 and 34.5% improvement in heat detection rates and pregnancy rates, respectively. The main reasons producers reported for building this type of housing system were for improved cow comfort, cow health and longevity, and ease of completing daily chores. The largest concern was the cost and availability of bedding, especially as additional compost barns are built. Overall, all producers were satisfied with their decision to build a compost barn.

The effect of out-wintering pad design on dirtiness score, somatic cell score and mastitis incidence in dairy cows

“…Alternatives to cubicle accommodation for dairy cattle are emerging (Barberg et al, 2007;Gazzola et al, 2007;O'Driscoll et al, 2008). A potentially viable system consists of group housing cows on an organic bedding substrate without physical constructions such as cubicles.…”

“…A potentially viable system consists of group housing cows on an organic bedding substrate without physical constructions such as cubicles. One example of this is a bedded pack system, which is of growing interest to dairy producers in the US (Barberg et al, 2007). However, Barberg et al (2007) reported that excellent cow preparation for milking procedures and management of the pack were necessary to achieve low bulk tank SCC.…”

“…One example of this is a bedded pack system, which is of growing interest to dairy producers in the US (Barberg et al, 2007). However, Barberg et al (2007) reported that excellent cow preparation for milking procedures and management of the pack were necessary to achieve low bulk tank SCC. In Ireland (Hickey et al, 2002;O'Driscoll et al, 2006) and New Zealand (Fisher et al, 2003;Tucker et al, 2007) woodchip pads, or outwintering pads (OWPs), are under investigation as an alternative winter confinement system for dairy cattle.…”

Compost Barns for Dairy Cows—Aspects of Animal Welfare

“…They have already been successfully built and operated for quite some time in Israel and America. A lot of the scientific findings currently available on this kind of housing system come from America, especially Minnesota [1]- [5].…”

Stro als bedding voor vrijloopstallen : een verkennende studie

“…In vrijloopstallen worden over het algemeen de volgende bacterietypen gevonden met hun frequentie van voorkomen: coliform-achtige bacteriën (10,7%), omgevingsstreptococcen (39,4%), omgevingsstaphylococcen (17,4%) en Bacillus (32,5%) (Barberg et al, 2007a). Coliforms zijn o.a.…”