Comfort and cow behavior during periods of intense precipitation

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to study the influence of prolonged precipitation as rain on the behavior and comfortable resting place of cows by housing on open feedlots with and without shelters. It was found that the duration of lying down was longer by 47 minutes for the variant of housing on open feedlots with shelters and eating feed by 8 minutes in compared to open feedlots without shelters. Concerning to the indicators of standing and motion behaviour, the duration of these behavioural act by the variant of housing on open feedlots without shelters was slightly longer compared to housing on open feedlots with shelters: by 29 and 18 minutes, respectively. The skin temperature of cows was 0.4 °C higher by housing on open feedlots without shelters than that cow by housing on open feedlots with shelters. The temperature of resting place under lying cow was also higher by housing on open feedlots without shelters (by 0.6 °C). At the same time, the temperature in recreation areas under the shelters prevailed by 0.2 °C, the same indicator by housing on open feedlots without shelters. The average values of daily energy consumption for basic metabolism and heat exchange were 1.50 MJ higher by housing on open feedlots without shelters. The best scores on the indices of hygienic assessment and comfort housing conditions were by the variant of housing on open feedlots with shelters. The cows were slightly less polluted on their flanks, udders and limbs by housing of this technology than by housing on open feedlots without shelters.