Pons M V, Adrien M L, Mattiauda D A, Méndez M N, Meikle A, Chilibroste P, Damián J P
Departamento de Ciencias Veterinarias y Agrarias, Facultad de Veterinaria, Cenur Litoral Norte, Universidad de la República, Paysandú, Uruguay.
Departamento de Producción Animal y Pasturas, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad de la República, Paysandú, Uruguay.
Vet Med Int. 2025 Jul 3;2025:3527752. doi: 10.1155/vmi/3527752. eCollection 2025.
In mixed systems (pasture plus TMR), it is essential to provide the cows with good housing conditions at times of supplementation during confinement. However, given that there are different types of confinement for high-producing cows in pastoral-based systems, it is necessary to determine how such confinement conditions can affect their welfare. The aim of this study was to determine if the type of confinement (compost barn (CB) versus outdoor soil-bedded (OD)) used in mixed systems affects the welfare of dairy cows through behavioral and biochemical indicators. Holstein cows ( = 32) calving in autumn were assigned to two treatments (CB or OD) at calving. During confinement (half a day) in CB, the cows were kept indoors with a compost bed (13.5 m/cow), including ventilation, while OD cows were kept in the open space with a dirt floor and shaded area (4.8 m/cow). Confinement and grazing behavior (eating, ruminating, drinking, lying, standing, and walking) and the number of agonistic interactions in confinement were recorded every 10 min, on 3 days within a week for 5 months. Blood was collected to determine the concentration of creatine kinase, total proteins, and albumin during lactation. During confinement, cows in CB were found to be more frequently eating (=0.07), drinking ( < 0.0001), and lying down (=0.003) than those in OD, while OD cows were more time ruminating (=0.0005), standing (=0.02), and walking ( < 0.0001). During pasture access, cows in CB were more time eating (=0.01) and standing (=0.0003), while they were less lying (=0.01) than cows in the OD and no differences were found in ruminating, drinking, and walking behaviors. CB cows tended to present more agonist interactions than in OD cows (=0.09). Cows in CB had higher total proteins (=0.02) and globulins (=0.006) than cows in OD. In conclusion, the type of confinement differentially affected the different behavioral indicators (lying, standing, walking, rumination, and agonist interactions), as well as blood concentration of total protein and globulins. Although CB did not have all the behavioral indicators of welfare in its favor for autumn-calving cows (ruminating and agonist interactions), blood indicators (total protein and globulins) highlight advantages of CB in relation to OD.
在混合系统（牧场加全混合日粮）中，在奶牛圈养补充饲料期间，为其提供良好的圈舍条件至关重要。然而，鉴于以放牧为主的系统中高产奶牛有不同类型的圈养方式，有必要确定这些圈养条件如何影响它们的福利。本研究的目的是通过行为和生化指标来确定混合系统中使用的圈养类型（堆肥牛舍（CB）与户外土壤铺垫（OD））是否会影响奶牛的福利。秋季产犊的荷斯坦奶牛（n = 32）在产犊时被分配到两种处理方式（CB或OD）。在CB中圈养（半天）期间，奶牛被关在室内，有堆肥床（每头牛13.5平方米），包括通风设施，而OD组奶牛被关在有泥土地面和遮阳区域的露天场地（每头牛4.8平方米）。在5个月内每周的3天里每隔10分钟记录圈养和放牧行为（采食、反刍、饮水、躺卧、站立和行走）以及圈养期间的争斗互动次数。在泌乳期间采集血液以测定肌酸激酶、总蛋白和白蛋白的浓度。在圈养期间，发现CB组的奶牛比OD组的奶牛更频繁地采食（P = 0.07）、饮水（P < 0.0001）和躺卧（P = 0.003），而OD组奶牛反刍（P = 0.0005）、站立（P = 0.02）和行走（P < 0.0001）的时间更多。在放牧期间，CB组的奶牛采食（P = 0.01）和站立（P = 0.0003）的时间更多，而躺卧时间（P = 0.01）比OD组的奶牛少，在反刍、饮水和行走行为方面未发现差异。CB组奶牛的争斗互动比OD组奶牛更多（P = 0.09）。CB组奶牛的总蛋白（P = 0.02）和球蛋白（P = 0.006）含量高于OD组奶牛。总之，圈养类型对不同行为指标（躺卧、站立、行走、反刍和争斗互动）以及总蛋白和球蛋白的血液浓度有不同影响。虽然CB对于秋季产犊奶牛来说并非在所有福利行为指标方面都占优势（反刍和争斗互动），但血液指标（总蛋白和球蛋白）突出了CB相对于OD的优势。
