The effect of lying motivation on cow behaviour

Norring, Marianna; Valros, Anna

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2015.11.022

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Change in median amplitude (MA; % mean and SED 1 ) and median power frequency (MPF; % mean and SED) associated with stepping behavior in dairy cattle (n = 16), during standing on floors that varied in type and standing time (1 vs. 3 h on each type) Comparisons with interval 1 (first 30 min of standing) were made at 3 time points: (A) interval 2 (30 to 60 min), (B) interval 3 (90 to 120 min), and (C) interval 4 (150 to 180 min). but longer than that reported in other studies investigating latency to lie down after 4 h of lying deprivation (ranging from 4 to 7 min in Krebs et al, 2011, andNorring andValros, 2016;28 min in Tucker et al, 2018). We speculate that the differences in latency to lie down are due to methodological differences between the studies, such as feeding and milking times, and possible differences in ambient air temperature, which may have influenced cows' motivation to lie down.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 49%

Stepping behavior and muscle activity of dairy cattle standing on concrete or rubber flooring for 1 or 3 hours

Schütz

Rajapaksha

Mintline

et al. 2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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The type of flooring in dairy cattle systems influences cows' health and welfare. Although concrete is common, the use of more compressible flooring, such as rubber, is increasing. Cows prefer to stand and walk on rubber surfaces than on concrete; however, it is largely unknown how walking and standing for longer periods of time influence muscle activity and fatigue. Therefore, we used measures of behavior and muscle activity to investigate the potential benefits of providing a rubber flooring surface to dairy cattle. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows were forced to stand on either concrete or rubber flooring for 1 or 3 h in a 2 × 2 crossover design. Surface electromyograms (SEMG) and skin surface temperature were used to evaluate muscle activity, fatigue, and movement of muscle activity between the hind legs. Activity of 2 muscles, the bicep femoris and middle gluteal, was assessed during both static contractions, when cows transferred weight to each hind leg, before and after 1 and 3 h of standing, and dynamic contractions, associated with steps and with shifts in weight without steps. In addition, we evaluated stepping rate, time between each step, feeding behavior, skin surface temperature, and latency to lie down after standing. Standing duration influenced both the behavior and muscle activity of cows. Stepping rate increased with standing time for cows on both flooring types. Static muscle activity parameters of the bicep femoris muscle were higher after 3 h of standing for cows standing on both flooring types (2.3 and 3.6% increases in median amplitude and median power frequency, respectively) compared with the change after 1 h and compared with baseline values before the standing treatment. Flooring type influenced the behavior and muscle activity of the cows, particularly during the first hour of exposure; cows standing on rubber had a higher stepping rate, shorter interval between steps, and higher number of SEMG shifts (muscle activity shifts with or without visible steps) than cows on concrete. There was no difference in skin surface temperature, feeding behavior, or latency to lie down between the treatments. The results show that standing on a rubber flooring caused a different initial behavioral response compared with standing on concrete; however, possible reasons for these changes are unclear. Standing for 3 h resulted in an increase in stepping rate and in some muscle activity parameters; however, the results regarding muscle fatigue in relation to flooring type are inconclusive.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 49%

Stepping behavior and muscle activity of dairy cattle standing on concrete or rubber flooring for 1 or 3 hours

Schütz

Rajapaksha

Mintline

et al. 2018

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…When both dairy cows (Munksgaard and Simonsen, 1996) and young bulls (Munksgaard et al, 1999) were forced to stand for 7 h twice a day by physical restraint, they spent almost all of the remaining time (93% and 95%) lying down. Cows forced to stand for 4 h spent more time lying down in the following 4 h (Norring and Valros, 2016) or 20 h (Bolinger et al, 1997) than those that were not. In addition, the latency to lie down can be short, 4 to 7 min, after 4 h of forced standing (Krebs et al, 2011;Norring and Valros, 2016) and is over an hour sooner than cows that have not been standing for 4 h (Tucker et al, 2018).…”

Section: Evidence Of Rebound or Compensatory Responses Associated Witmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…Cows forced to stand for 4 h spent more time lying down in the following 4 h (Norring and Valros, 2016) or 20 h (Bolinger et al, 1997) than those that were not. In addition, the latency to lie down can be short, 4 to 7 min, after 4 h of forced standing (Krebs et al, 2011;Norring and Valros, 2016) and is over an hour sooner than cows that have not been standing for 4 h (Tucker et al, 2018). Quickly engaging in lying behavior (short latency to lie), once provided the opportunity, indicates that the cows are motivated to do so.…”

Section: Evidence Of Rebound or Compensatory Responses Associated Witmentioning

confidence: 93%

Invited review: Lying time and the welfare of dairy cows

Tucker

Jensen

Passillé

et al. 2021

Journal of Dairy Science

148

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Adequate time lying down is often considered an important aspect of dairy cow welfare. We examine what is known about cows' motivation to lie down and the consequences for health and other indicators of biological function when this behavior is thwarted. We review the environmental and animal-based factors that affect lying time in the context of animal welfare. Our objective is to review the research into the time that dairy cows spend lying down and to critically examine the evidence for the link with animal welfare. Cows can be highly motivated to lie down. They show rebound lying behavior after periods of forced standing and will sacrifice other activities, such as feeding, to lie down for an adequate amount of time. They will work, by pushing levers or weighted gates, to lie down and show possible indicators of frustration when lying behavior is thwarted. Some evidence suggests that risk of lameness is increased in environments that provide unfavorable conditions for cows to lie down and where cows are forced to stand. Lameness itself can result in longer lying times, whereas mastitis reduces it. Cowbased factors such as reproductive status, age, and milk production influence lying time, but the welfare implications of these differences are unknown. Lower lying times are reported in pasture-based systems, dry lots, and bedded packs (9 h/d) compared with tiestalls and freestalls (10 to 12 h/d) in cross-farm research. Unfavorable conditions, including too few lying stalls for the number of cows, hard or wet lying surfaces, inadequate bedding, stalls that are too small or poorly designed, heat, and rain all reduce lying time. Time constraints, such as feeding or milking, can influence lying time. However, more information is needed about the implications of mediating factors such as the effect of the standing surface (concrete, pasture, or other surfaces) and cow behavior while standing (e.g., being restrained, walking, grazing) to understand the effect of low lying times on animal welfare. Many factors contribute to the difficulty of finding a valid threshold for daily lying time to use in the assessment of animal welfare. Although higher lying times often correspond with cow comfort, and lower lying times are seen in unfavorable conditions, exceptions occur, namely when cows lie down for longer because of disease or when they spend more time standing because of estrus or parturition, or to engage in other behaviors. In conclusion, lying behavior is important to dairy cattle, but caution and a full understanding of the context and the character of the animals in question is needed before drawing firm conclusions about animal welfare from measures of lying time.

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“…The ability to spend time lying down is extremely important to the welfare of dairy cows. Indeed, cows are highly motivated to perform this behaviour [36], particularly for access to deep bedding [37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Lameness on the Lying Behaviour of Zero-Grazed Lactating Jersey Dairy Cattle Housed in Straw Yards

Blackie

Maclaurin

2019

Animals

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Simple SummaryLameness is a concern within the dairy industry. Firstly, it has a negative effect on the animal’s welfare, and secondly, has been found to be costly to producers. Ultimately, it can result in having to cull the cow early. Lameness can change the behaviour of cows who may spend more time lying down to relieve the pain in their feet. In this study, we used activity monitors to automatically record the behaviour of non-lame and lame Jersey cattle. Unlike previous studies involving other breeds, the Jersey cows in this study showed no statistically significant differences in the length of time spent lying or standing in relation to lameness status. Lame cows did have significantly shorter average lying bouts compared to non-lame cows. We also recorded what proportion of the herd were lame. The results (38%) were higher than expected in Jersey cattle but may be related to the fact the cows were housed all year round and therefore were not given access to grass. In conclusion, we saw no evidence of an effect of lameness on lying behaviour in this study. AbstractThirty-five lactating Jersey cows were recruited to the study. They were grouped according to locomotion score (LS), where low scores indicate normal gait. LS-1 (n = 12), LS-2 (n = 12) and LS-3 (n = 11) were used. Locomotion scores were balanced for parity and stage of lactation. Lying behaviour was recorded using IceTag™ data loggers attached to the cows for four consecutive days. The study animals remained in the straw based yards with grooved concrete flooring throughout the duration of the study. All data were normally distributed and assessed using a one-way ANOVA with a post hoc Tukey test. There were no statistically significant differences between locomotion score and the time spent lying, active and standing of zero-grazed lactating Jersey dairy cattle housed on straw yards. Lame cows (LS-3) had significantly shorter lying bouts than sound cows (LS-1) (34 min vs. 42 min, respectively). There has been limited research to date measuring the lying behaviour of cattle on straw and into the Jersey breed. The cows had longer than expected standing times and an increased frequency of lying bouts. This may have been attributed to the stocking density in which the cows were kept. We also reported a prevalence of lameness within the herd of 38%.

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The effect of lying motivation on cow behaviour

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Stepping behavior and muscle activity of dairy cattle standing on concrete or rubber flooring for 1 or 3 hours

Stepping behavior and muscle activity of dairy cattle standing on concrete or rubber flooring for 1 or 3 hours

Invited review: Lying time and the welfare of dairy cows

Influence of Lameness on the Lying Behaviour of Zero-Grazed Lactating Jersey Dairy Cattle Housed in Straw Yards

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