Department of Livestock Production, and University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
Department of Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore 54000, Pakistan.
J Dairy Sci. 2018 Feb;101(2):1505-1510. doi: 10.3168/jds.2017-13601. Epub 2017 Dec 8.
The aim of the present study was to assess stall occupancy of Nili Ravi buffaloes when first introduced to freestall housing. Thirty Nili Ravi buffaloes of different parity, weight, and pregnancy status were enrolled from the dairy farm of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan. All of the enrolled animals had no previous experience with freestalls. The selected buffaloes were introduced to the freestall shed. During an adaptation period of 7 d, all buffaloes had 24 h of free access to lie down in 1 of 3 areas: (1) freestalls, (2) alleys, and (3) an outside open area. After the adaptation period, all buffaloes were housed indoors during nighttime (restricted period) to ensure that only freestalls or alleys were available as lying areas. An observer monitored animals at 0100 h and recorded the number of animals lying in freestalls, in alleys, and in the outside open area. The results indicated that during the adaptation period, herd-level freestall occupancy in buffaloes remained below 10%. During the restricted period, herd-level stall occupancy was 0, 13, 50, and 90% on d 1, 2, 5, and 17, respectively. Buffaloes with parity ≥3 took fewer days (6.6 ± 1.0; mean ± standard error of the mean) to occupy stalls than buffaloes with parity 2, 1, and heifers (13.2 ± 1.5, 16.7 ± 2.1, and 13.5 ± 2.1 d, respectively). Body weight and pregnancy status of buffaloes did not have any effect on stall occupancy. Buffaloes showed adjacent stall occupancy, filling opposite stalls first. The results indicated that older buffaloes occupied freestalls earlier than younger buffaloes. Our findings would help better manage buffaloes in freestall housing.
本研究旨在评估尼里-拉菲水牛初次进入厩舍时的卧床占有率。从巴基斯坦兽医与动物科学大学的奶牛场招募了 30 头不同胎次、体重和妊娠状态的尼里-拉菲水牛。所有入组动物均无厩舍卧床经验。选择的水牛被引入厩舍。在 7 天的适应期内，所有水牛都可以 24 小时自由躺在 3 个区域之一：（1）厩床、（2）过道和（3）外部开放区域。适应期结束后，所有水牛在夜间（限制期）都被安置在室内，以确保厩床或过道是唯一的卧床区域。一名观察者在 0100 小时监测动物，并记录躺在厩床、过道和外部开放区域的动物数量。结果表明，在适应期内，水牛群的厩床占有率仍低于 10%。在限制期内，水牛群的卧床占有率分别在第 1、2、5 和 17 天为 0、13、50 和 90%。胎次≥3 的水牛比胎次 2、1 和小母牛（分别为 6.6 ± 1.0、13.2 ± 1.5、16.7 ± 2.1 和 13.5 ± 2.1 天）更快地占据卧床。水牛的体重和妊娠状态对卧床占有率没有影响。水牛表现出相邻卧床占有率，首先填满对面的卧床。结果表明，年龄较大的水牛比年龄较小的水牛更早占据厩床。我们的研究结果将有助于更好地管理厩舍中的水牛。
