摘要
Free-stalls for dairy cows promote cleanliness, provide cows with a defined space to lie down, and decrease labor and bedding required for maintenance. However, current stall features can restrict behavior and reduce stall use. The objective of this study was to assess the short-term effect of a novel free-stall design (flexible single-bar partition, no neck rail, increased slope) on stall cleanliness and the lying behavior, rumination, milk production, and preferences of dairy cows in comparison to standard free-stalls (metal loop partitions, neck rail). In the first experiment, 60 Holstein cows were randomly divided into two groups and switched between standard and novel stalls in a replicated crossover design with four 7-day periods. Lying behavior and rumination were recorded continuously. Milk yields were recorded 2x/day, and stall cleanliness scores were collected on the last four days of weeks 3 and 4. The second experiment was a 6-day preference test where 14 cows from experiment 1 were given free access to 16 standard and 16 novel stalls. Lying behavior was recorded continuously. On day 6, standing, perching, and intention, lying, and rising movements were recorded. In experiment 1, cows spent 12 min less time lying down (14.1 vs 14.3 ± 0.48 h/d), had one fewer lying bouts (8.8 vs 9.8 ± 0.23 bouts/d), and had longer lying bouts by 6 min (1.4 vs 1.5 ± 0.05 h/bout) in novel stalls. Rumination time (547.3 vs 548.9 ± 4.66 min/d) and milk yield (35.0 vs 35.2 ± 0.51 kg/d) did not differ between stall types. However, novel stalls were more than twice as soiled as standard stalls (32.8 vs 14.2 ± 1.38% of rear half soiled). In experiment 2, the cows most recently housed in the novel stalls showed a clear preference for lying down in those stalls, whereas cows most recently housed in standard stalls showed no preference. Intention and lying down movements were longer in standard stalls when other cows were present in diagonally opposite stalls, but were similar between stall types when not occupied. All cows preferred standing in novel stalls. Novel stalls may have improved stall use compared to standard free-stalls, and the design requires further development to address cleanliness concerns. Future work is required to provide comfortable stalls without sacrificing cleanliness.
摘要译文
乳制品奶牛的自由摊位促进清洁，提供带有明确空间的奶牛，躺下，减少维护所需的劳动力和床上用品。但是，当前的失速功能可以限制行为并减少失速使用。本研究的目的是评估新颖的自由失速设计（柔性单杆隔断，无颈轨，增加斜坡）对摊位清洁和撒谎，谣言，牛奶生产和偏好的短期效果奶牛与标准自由摊位（金属环隔板，颈轨）相比。在第一个实验中，60个霍尔斯坦奶牛随机分为两组，并在标准和新型停顿之间切换，在复制的交叉设计中，具有四个7天。持续记录撒谎的行为和谣言。牛奶产量被记录2倍/日，并在第3周的最后四天收集失速清洁度分数。第二个实验是6天的偏好测试，其中来自实验1的14个奶牛可免费获得16个标准和16次小说摊位。撒谎行为是不断记录的。在第6天，记录了站立，栖息和意图，撒谎和上升的运动。在实验1中，奶牛花费了12分钟的时间躺下（14.1 vs 14.3±0.48 h / d），较少的谎言（8.8 vs 9.8±0.23 Bouts / d），并在6分钟内躺着更长的谎言（1.4 vs 1.5±0.05 h / bout）在小说摊位中。谣言时间（547.3 Vs 548.9±4.66 min / d）和牛奶产率（35.0 vs 35.2±0.51 kg / d）在失速类型之间没有区别。然而，新颖的摊位是标准摊位的污染两倍（32.8 Vs 14.2±1.38％的后半部分）。在实验2中，最近坐在新型摊位中最近的奶牛表现出清晰的偏好，以躺在那些摊位中，而最近被居住在标准摊位中的奶牛没有偏好。当其他奶牛在对角线相对的摊位中存在时，意图和躺着的运动更长，但在对角线上存在时，但在未占用时在摊位类型之间相似。所有奶牛都喜欢在新颖的摊位中站立。与标准的自由摊位相比，新颖的摊位可能有改善的失速使用，并且设计需要进一步发展以解决清洁度问题。未来的工作是在不牺牲清洁度的情况下提供舒适的摊位。
A.M. Wilson[a];T.C. Wright[b];J.P. Cant[a];V.R. Osborne[a]. Development of a novel stall design for dairy cattle: Part II. The effect of minimal stall partitioning on lying behavior, rumination, stall cleanliness, and preference[J]. animal, 2022,16(1)