Odore Rosangela, Biasato Ilaria, Gardini Giulia, D'Angelo Antonio, Bellino Claudio
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Nov 20;11(11):3318. doi: 10.3390/ani11113318.
The up-to-date literature suggests that the compost-bedded pack barn housing system is capable of remarkably improving productive and reproductive performance, as well as health status and welfare, in dairy cattle. However, there is currently limited knowledge available on the endocrine and biochemical changes in animals housed in such alternative systems. Therefore, this study aimed to measure blood cortisol (COR) and beta-endorphins (BE) in 22 two-year-old primiparae Fleckvieh cows, who were randomly allotted to the following two different housing systems: CB ( = 11) and FB ( = 11). Blood samples were collected at the beginning of the experiment (T0) and every two months thereafter (T1, T2, and T3). The COR and BE were measured through an immunoenzymatic kit. With the only exception being T0, no differences were observed over time between the two groups, neither for COR nor for BE. However, the blood cortisol levels of the CB cows decreased over time, while a T1 peak was identified in the FB group. On the contrary, both the housing systems displayed numerically higher BE at T3 than at the other experimental times. Therefore, the overall data suggest that the compost-bedded pack barn did not significantly affect the studied parameters. Accordingly, cow welfare should be assessed using a wider panel of animal-based indicators.
最新文献表明，垫料堆积式牛舍饲养系统能够显著提高奶牛的生产性能、繁殖性能以及健康状况和福利水平。然而，目前对于采用这种替代系统饲养的动物的内分泌和生化变化的了解有限。因此，本研究旨在测量22头两岁初产弗莱维赫奶牛的血液皮质醇（COR）和β-内啡肽（BE），这些奶牛被随机分配到以下两种不同的饲养系统中：垫料堆积式牛舍（CB，n = 11）和传统牛舍（FB，n = 11）。在实验开始时（T0）以及此后每两个月（T1、T2和T3）采集血样。通过免疫酶试剂盒测量COR和BE。除了T0之外，两组在COR和BE方面随时间均未观察到差异。然而，垫料堆积式牛舍组奶牛的血液皮质醇水平随时间下降，而传统牛舍组在T1出现了一个峰值。相反，在T3时，两种饲养系统的BE数值均高于其他实验时间。因此，总体数据表明垫料堆积式牛舍对所研究的参数没有显著影响。相应地，应该使用更广泛的基于动物的指标来评估奶牛福利。
