Fazil Dairy Farm, Isfahan 84861-18946, Iran.
Department of Animal Sciences, College of Agriculture, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran.
Res Vet Sci. 2022 Dec 20;152:175-180. doi: 10.1016/j.rvsc.2022.07.029. Epub 2022 Aug 4.
This research evaluates the effect of two housing types, freestalls vs. bedded-pack, on growth performance, health scoring, and behavior of weaned heifers. Twenty-four heifers with no previous experience with freestalls (12 heifers/ treatment) were randomly assigned to the two treatments (freestalls vs. bedded-pack) at d 80 ± 3 of age. Heifers had free access to total mixed ration (TMR) and water throughout the experiment. The TMR intake and health score were recorded daily from d 80 to 110 of age. Body weight and skeletal growth of heifers were measured at the beginning (d 80) and the end (d110) of the experiment. Feeding behaviors were recorded for a period of 22 h and at the same time. Growth performance (ADG, structural growth, and final body weight), overall DMI, and health assessment (fecal score, general appearance, and rectal temperature) were similar between treatments. Behavioral patterns of eating, drinking, standing, lying, and rumination were also similar between treatments. However, in freestall-housed heifers, the proportion of time spent lying inside the stall increased by 8.1%, and time spent lying outside the stall decreased by 9.44% from the beginning to the end of the study (from 80 to 110 d). In summary, our results indicate that weaned heifers showed similar growth performance, behavior, and health when housed in freestall and bedded-pack housing. However, introducing weaned heifers to freestall housing at an early age will prepare them for using the facility.
本研究评估了两种饲养方式，即自由卧床和铺垫卧床，对断奶小母牛生长性能、健康评分和行为的影响。24 头从未有过自由卧床经验的小母牛（12 头/处理）在 80±3 日龄时随机分配到两种处理（自由卧床和铺垫卧床）。试验过程中，小母牛可自由采食全混合日粮（TMR）和水。从 80 日龄到 110 日龄，每天记录 TMR 摄入量和健康评分。在试验开始（80 日龄）和结束（110 日龄）时测量小母牛的体重和骨骼生长情况。在同一时间记录 22 小时的采食行为。生长性能（ADG、结构生长和最终体重）、总 DMI 和健康评估（粪便评分、一般外观和直肠温度）在处理之间相似。采食、饮水、站立、躺卧和反刍等行为模式在处理之间也相似。然而，在自由卧床饲养的小母牛中，从研究开始（80 日龄）到结束（110 日龄），其在卧床内躺卧的时间比例增加了 8.1%，而在卧床外躺卧的时间比例减少了 9.44%。总之，我们的结果表明，断奶小母牛在自由卧床和铺垫卧床饲养时表现出相似的生长性能、行为和健康。然而，在早期将断奶小母牛引入自由卧床饲养将使它们为使用该设施做好准备。
