Hassall S A, Ward W R, Murray R D
Department of Veterinary Clinical Science and Animal Husbandry, University of Liverpool, Neston, South Wirral.
Vet Rec. 1993 Jun 5;132(23):578-80. doi: 10.1136/vr.132.23.578.
The welfare implications of lameness in dairy cattle are considerable, and in addition to causing great pain and discomfort to the animals it is detrimental to productivity. This study investigated the differences in behaviour of lame and normal cows during the summer. Their rank of entry and behaviour in the milking parlour were examined. Lame cows entered the parlour later than normal cows (P < 0.01), and were significantly more restless on their feet while being milked (P < 0.01). When cows were at pasture the lame cows lay down for longer (P < 0.01) and grazed for shorter periods than the normal cows (P < 0.01). All cows ruminated for longer periods when lying down than when standing, but the difference was significant only for the lame cows (P < 0.01). In addition, lame cows had significantly lower bite rates than normal cows (P < 0.01). The behavioural differences between lame and normal cows indicated that lameness had serious effects on the welfare and productivity of lame cows.
奶牛跛足对其健康福利的影响相当大，除了给动物带来巨大痛苦和不适外，还会对生产力产生不利影响。本研究调查了夏季跛足奶牛和正常奶牛行为上的差异。研究了它们进入挤奶厅的顺序和行为。跛足奶牛比正常奶牛进入挤奶厅的时间晚（P < 0.01），并且在挤奶时明显更加躁动不安（P < 0.01）。当奶牛在牧场时，跛足奶牛躺卧的时间更长（P < 0.01），而吃草的时间比正常奶牛短（P < 0.01）。所有奶牛躺卧时反刍的时间都比站立时更长，但这种差异仅在跛足奶牛中显著（P < 0.01）。此外，跛足奶牛的啃咬率明显低于正常奶牛（P < 0.01）。跛足奶牛和正常奶牛之间的行为差异表明，跛足对跛足奶牛的健康福利和生产力有严重影响。
