Welfare of dairy cows in mixed feeding systems under two different conditions of confinement: Behavioral, biochemical and physiological indicators

Pons, M.; Adrien, María de Lourdes; Mattiauda, D. A.; Breijo, Martı́n; Meikle, A.; Chilibroste, P.; Damián, Juan Pablo

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2023.105995

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In the spring and summer, male addax are seen lying and consuming water more frequently and standing and ruminating less frequently than in other seasons [36]. At the same latitudes, dairy cattle [37,51,52], show similar locomotor and feeding patterns in response to thermal stress taking place in summer. It seems that, despite the multiple differences between addax and dairy cattle (e.g., native habitat, human selection pressure), both bovidae species share basic behavioral strategies to cope with heat stress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further Than Fur: Effects of Sex, Body Site, and Season on Hair Color and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Captive Addax nasomaculatus Antelopes

Damián,

Banguese,

Bentancor

et al. 2024

Ruminants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Addax nasomaculatus is an African antelope currently considered “critically endangered”. There is little scientific knowledge about the species, which could potentially aid in species conservation. The objective of this study was to determine how hair cortisol concentration and hair color vary according to sex, body site, and season across a whole year in zoo-housed addax. The addax population was housed at Parque Lecocq Zoo, Uruguay. Hair samples were taken from the shoulder and rump in autumn, winter, spring, and summer. Hair cortisol concentration in addax varied according to sex, with males exhibiting a higher hair cortisol concentration than females (1.03 ± 0.05 pg/mg vs. 0.91 ± 0.05 pg/mg, p = 0.016, respectively), with these differences being more significant in the spring (p < 0.0001). Hair cortisol concentration varied across seasons (p < 0.0001), with maximum values observed in summer. The color parameters (L*, a*, and b*) varied across seasons (p < 0.0001). The coat was blacker and yellower in winter and whiter in summer. Males had darker and greener hair color than females (p < 0.05). Sex and season-driven variation in hair cortisol concentration and hair color seem to be important elements to consider in relation to thermal comfort and animal welfare in addax, highlighting the warmer seasons as critical.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Further Than Fur: Effects of Sex, Body Site, and Season on Hair Color and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Captive Addax nasomaculatus Antelopes

Damián,

Banguese,

Bentancor

et al. 2024

Ruminants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Metabolic adaptation to lactation of dairy cows in two contrasting facilities involving partial confinement plus grazing or total confinement

Mendina,

Damián,

Meikle

et al. 2024

Anim. Prod. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Context The increasing intensification of pasture-based systems has subjected the cows to different productive environments, which could affect physiological responses and, consequently, their productive performance. Aims The aim was to determine the effect of contrasting housing facilities (outdoor soil-bedded vs compost-bedded pack barn) used in partial confinement in pasture-based systems, on the metabolic adaptation during early lactation and its impact on productive and reproductive performance of autumn- and spring-calving dairy cows, having as a positive control a zero-grazing confined system in compost barn. Methods Multiparous Holstein dairy cows that calved in autumn (n = 36) and spring (n = 48) were distributed in the following three treatments from calving to 90 days in milk (DIM): outdoor soil-bedded–grazing (OD-GRZ), compost barn–grazing (CB-GRZ), compost barn–total mixed ration (CB-TMR). Milk production, total milksolids (TMS), body condition score, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), cholesterol, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and the proportion of cows with corpus luteum were determined in repeated measurements. Key results In both calving seasons, milk production and TMS yields did not differ between OD-GRZ and CB-GRZ, but were greater in CB-TMR (P < 0.0001). In autumn, NEFA and BHB were not affected by treatments, but cholesterol increased faster in CB-TMR (P = 0.0500). In spring, NEFA and cholesterol concentrations were not affected by treatment, but BHB remained greater in OD-GRZ until 90 DIM than in the other treatments. IGF-1 and insulin did not differ between treatments in autumn, but in spring, IGF-1 was greater in CB-TMR (P < 0.0001). The proportion of cows with corpus luteum was not different between pasture-based treatments, but both were greater than CB-TMR up to 40 DIM in autumn (P = 0.0489) and during the entire study in spring CB-TMR (P = 0.0285). Conclusions Although no differences were found among housing facilities in partial confinement, except that in spring OD-GRZ cows had greater BHB concentrations, confined cows prioritised milk production instead of reproductive function, despite presenting better energy indicators than did pasture-based cows. Implications Outdoor housing combined with grazing can increase the risk of greater BHB concentrations, indicative of subclinical ketosis, under heat-stress conditions, when compared with indoor housing. Confined cows increased milk production but had a delay in the resumption of ovarian cyclicity, even having a better energy status than pasture-based cows.

show abstract

Behavior, Intake, Digestion and Milk Yield of Early Lactation Holstein Dairy Cows with Two Levels of Environmental Exposure and Feeding Strategy

Méndez,

Swanepoel,

Robinson

et al. 2024

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Eighty-four autumn (ACS, n = 45)- and spring (SCS, n = 39)-calved multiparous early lactation Holstein cows were assigned to groups of either: (a) grazing + mixed ration (MR) during partial confinement in outdoor soil-bedded pens with shade (OD-GRZ); (b) grazing + MR during partial confinement in a compost-bedded pack barn with cooling (CB-GRZ); or (c) total confinement fed a totally mixed ration (CB-TMR) in a compost-bedded pack barn. Data were analyzed using the SAS MIXED procedure with significance at p ≤ 0.05. In both seasons, despite behavioral differences (p < 0.05) between the OD-GRZ and CB-GRZ groups (i.e., standing, first grazing meal length, bite rate), the milk and component yields, DM intake, microbial CP output (MCP) and NE efficiency were unaffected by the housing conditions, possibly due to mild weather conditions. The milk yield was substantially higher in the CB-TMR group versus the OD-TMR and CB-TMR groups (p < 0.01) in both ACS (~35%) and SCS (~20%) despite there being no intake differences, without any impact on milk component levels. In ACS, this was associated with a higher MCP, likely due to the higher nutritional value of TMR compared to pasture, which was not the case in SCS. In conclusion, the OD-GRZ group achieved the same milk production as the CB-GRZ group through behavior adaptation, under mild weather conditions, in both calving seasons. The CB-TMR group outperformed the grazing systems in both calving seasons, regardless of the MCP.

show abstract

Welfare of dairy cows in mixed feeding systems under two different conditions of confinement: Behavioral, biochemical and physiological indicators

Cited by 3 publications

References 49 publications

Further Than Fur: Effects of Sex, Body Site, and Season on Hair Color and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Captive Addax nasomaculatus Antelopes

Further Than Fur: Effects of Sex, Body Site, and Season on Hair Color and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Captive Addax nasomaculatus Antelopes

Metabolic adaptation to lactation of dairy cows in two contrasting facilities involving partial confinement plus grazing or total confinement

Behavior, Intake, Digestion and Milk Yield of Early Lactation Holstein Dairy Cows with Two Levels of Environmental Exposure and Feeding Strategy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About