Dairy cows welfare quality in loose vs tie housing system

Abstract

The subject of this research was to determine the effect of the housing system on quality of welfare of dairy cattle in Serbia. Study was realized on six farms, capacity of 30 to 900 cows, with loose and tie housing system. Assessment of the welfare quality parameters was done by using the Welfare Quality? Assessment Protocol for Cattle, 2009. Results of the research show that the welfare quality of dairy animals is under the significant effect of housing system, and that loose system has the advantage when it comes to comfort around resting, easy of movements and health condition of cows. Share of not lame cows (81%) and cows with no lesion (86%) was significantly higher (p<0.01) in loose system. Indicator values: duration of lying down movements (6.53 sec), lying down movements with collisions (18.7%) and lying outside lying area (28.4%) in tie system were significantly higher (p<0.01) compared to loose system indicating the inadequacy of the housing and lack of comfort. Analysis of indicators associated with cow hygiene (dirty legs and udder) and diseases (dystocia) points to significant gaps in management in both housing systems which represent significant threat to cow welfare quality.Predmet ovog istrazivanja bilo je utvrdjivanje uticaja sistema drzanja na kvalitet dobrobiti mlecnih krava u Srbiji. Ispitivanje je obavljeno na sest farmi, kapaciteta od 30 do 900 krava, sa slobodnim i vezanim sistemom drzanja. Ocena parametara kvaliteta dobrobiti obavljena je koriscenjem Welfare Quality? Assesment Protocol for Cattle, 2009. Rezultati istrazivanja pokazuju da se kvalitet dobrobiti mlecnih krava nalazi pod znacajnim uticajem sistema drzanja kao i da slobodni sistem ima prednost kada su u pitanju udobnost/komfor tokom /lezanja, lakoca kretanja i zdravstveno stanje krava. Udeo krava bez znakova sepavosti (81%) i krava bez lezija/povreda (86%) bio je signifikantno veci (p<0.01) u slobodnom sistemu. Vrednosti indikatora: pokreti krave tokom leganja (6.53 sec), pokreti krave tokom leganja gde dolazi do kolizije sa drugim grlima (18.7%) i lezanje izvan povrsina za lezanje (28.4%) u vezanom sistemu su signifikantno vece (p<0.01) u odnosu na slobodni i ukazuju na neadekvatnost smestaja i nedostatak komfora. Analiza indikatora vezanih za higijenu krava (prljave noge i vime) i bolesti (distocia) ukazuje na znacajne propuste menadzmenta u oba sistema drzanja, koji ozbiljno ugrozavaju kvalitet dobrobiti krava.