Teagasc, Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, P61 C996Co. Cork, Ireland.
Animal Production Systems Group, Wageningen University & Research, P. O. Box 338, 6700 AHWageningen, The Netherlands.
Animal. 2020 Dec;14(12):2580-2587. doi: 10.1017/S1751731120001615. Epub 2020 Jun 30.
Welfare and management of calves is of increasing interest and also influences performance of these animals in later life. The aim of this study was to assess management and environmental conditions under which pre-weaned dairy calves are reared on commercial Irish dairy farms. We included 47 spring-calving, pasture-based herds in this study. Herd and animal-specific data, such as mortality rate, age and breed, were gathered from all participants via the HerdPlus® database. Information pertaining to management practices was collected by conducting an interview with the principal calf rearer, while an assessment of calf housing facilities was conducted to identify conditions calves were reared in. The environmental assessment included measurements of space allowance per calf, as well as feeding equipment hygiene. To assess calf behaviour video observations were used, while accounting for the number of calves present in a group and the space available per calf. Faecal samples were also collected to determine the presence of enteric pathogens among calves. To compare calf space allowance, group size and presence of enteric pathogens early and late in the calving season each farm was visited twice. Calf mortality was not associated with either herd size, space allowance per calf or post-colostrum feeding practices. Higher calf mortality was identified among herds which reported experiencing an on-set of calf pneumonia during weeks 8 to 10 of the calving season. This study demonstrates that factors associated with calf welfare on commercial Irish dairy farms (e.g. space allowance, mortality rate) are independent of herd size. Some management practices however, such as methods used for treating health issues can affect rates of calf mortality experienced. Calf mortality, for example, was lower in herds which treated diarrhoea cases by administering electrolytes, while continuing to offer milk. Behavioural observations indicate that smaller group sizes could promote expression of positive behaviours, potentially resulting from an overall improvement in welfare. Space allowance per calf was not associated with observed behaviour frequencies. We also identified that similar rates of calf mortality are experienced across herds of different sizes.
犊牛的福利和管理越来越受到关注，这也会影响它们以后的生产性能。本研究的目的是评估爱尔兰商业奶牛场中犊牛的饲养管理和环境条件。我们在本研究中纳入了 47 个春季产犊的、以牧场为基础的奶牛场。通过 HerdPlus®数据库从所有参与者那里收集了牛群和动物特定的数据，如死亡率、年龄和品种。通过与主要犊牛饲养员进行访谈收集了管理实践信息，同时对犊牛饲养设施进行了评估，以确定犊牛的饲养条件。环境评估包括测量每头犊牛的空间分配，以及饲料设备的卫生情况。为了评估犊牛的行为，我们使用了视频观察，同时考虑了群体中犊牛的数量和每头犊牛的可用空间。还收集了粪便样本，以确定犊牛中是否存在肠道病原体。为了比较犊牛空间分配、群体大小和肠道病原体的存在，在产犊季节的早期和晚期，每个农场都被访问了两次。犊牛死亡率与牛群规模、每头犊牛的空间分配或初乳后喂养实践无关。在产犊季节的第 8 至 10 周期间报告出现犊牛肺炎的牛群中，犊牛死亡率较高。本研究表明，与爱尔兰商业奶牛场犊牛福利相关的因素（例如空间分配、死亡率）与牛群规模无关。然而，一些管理实践，如处理健康问题的方法，会影响犊牛死亡率。例如，在处理腹泻病例时通过给予电解质并继续提供牛奶的牛群中，犊牛死亡率较低。行为观察表明，较小的群体规模可以促进积极行为的表达，这可能是整体福利提高的结果。每头犊牛的空间分配与观察到的行为频率无关。我们还发现，不同规模的牛群中，犊牛死亡率相似。
