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Ruminants
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Dairy Cow Husbandry, Behaviour and Welfare
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Dairy Cow Husbandry, Behaviour and Welfare

A special issue of Ruminants (ISSN 2673-933X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2024) | Viewed by 1810

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Nicola Blackie

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Animal Welfare Science and Ethics, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
Interests: evidence-based husbandry; cattle; behaviour; welfare; dairy cattle; environmental enrichment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit papers to this Special Issue of Ruminants on the subject of Dairy Cow Husbandry, Behaviour and Welfare. Good husbandry and management of dairy cattle is essential for optimal production and performance. Behaviour and welfare studies are particularly important around aspects of positive welfare, not just the absence of stressors in the animal’s life. In addition to studies examining interactions between cattle and their environment, we also welcome research into how cattle interact with their co-specifics and those caring for them. 

This Special Issue aims to present the most recent research into dairy cattle behaviour, welfare and husbandry, leading to the improvement of quality of life for farmed dairy cattle.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Environmental enrichment;
  • Pain relief strategies;
  • Impacts of disease on behaviour;
  • Husbandry best practice;
  • Positive welfare;
  • Stress responses;
  • Evidence-based welfare;
  • Human–animal interaction;
  • Cattle preferences.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Nicola Blackie
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Ruminants is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • dairy cattle
  • welfare
  • husbandry
  • environmental enrichment
  • behaviour
  • human-animal interactions

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1492 KiB  
Article
Impact of Lameness on Brush Use in a Loose-Housed Dairy System
by Yuri Ian Burton and Nicola Blackie
Ruminants 2024, 4(3), 375-386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4030027 - 2 Aug 2024
Viewed by 371
Abstract
This study focused on a group of 49 high-yielding dairy cows (primarily Holstein Friesians) and how their interactions with wall-mounted automated brushes correlated to their mobility (also described as lameness) score (AHDB 0–3 system. Of the 49 animals in the study, 48 were [...] Read more.
This study focused on a group of 49 high-yielding dairy cows (primarily Holstein Friesians) and how their interactions with wall-mounted automated brushes correlated to their mobility (also described as lameness) score (AHDB 0–3 system. Of the 49 animals in the study, 48 were mobility scored with a sample lameness prevalence of 14.6% (n = 22 score 0, n = 19 score 1, n = 6 score 2 and n = 1 score 3 (score 2 and 3 combined due to low numbers identified)). There was no statistical difference in the number of visits between the lame (score 2 and 3) and sound cows (score 0 and 1); however, there was a statistically relevant decrease in the duration that the lame cows spent brushing per visit (sound 91.7 ± 6.06 s compared to lame 63.0 ± 9.22 s, p = 0.0097). No significant difference was identified in how the lame cows interacted with the brushes (i.e., which body part) when compared to the group. The group, in general, showed a significant preference towards interacting with the brush with their head area (63.95% of interactions observed over the 72 h involved the head). In conclusion, monitoring brush use (duration of use per visit) could aid with the identification of clinically lame animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dairy Cow Husbandry, Behaviour and Welfare)
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13 pages, 275 KiB  
Article
The Effects of Breed, Lactation Number, and Lameness on the Behavior, Production, and Reproduction of Lactating Dairy Cows in Central Texas
by Lily A. Martin, Edward C. Webb, Cheyenne L. Runyan, Jennifer A. Spencer, Barbara W. Jones and Kimberly B. Wellmann
Ruminants 2024, 4(3), 316-328; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4030023 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 862
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of breed, lactation number, and lameness on lying time, milk yield, milk urea nitrogen concentration (MUN), progesterone concentration (P4), and the calving-to-conception interval (CCI) of lactating dairy cows in Central Texas. [...] Read more.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of breed, lactation number, and lameness on lying time, milk yield, milk urea nitrogen concentration (MUN), progesterone concentration (P4), and the calving-to-conception interval (CCI) of lactating dairy cows in Central Texas. A total of 84 lactating dairy cows (Holsteins, Jerseys, and crossbreeds) from a commercial dairy farm in Central Texas were randomly selected and enrolled in this study from October 2023 to February 2024. Cows (60 ± 7 DIM) were enrolled in cohorts weekly for five weeks and were randomly fitted with an IceQube pedometer (IceRobotics, Edinburgh, UK) to track lying time. Lameness and body condition scores (BCS) were recorded, and blood samples were collected once a week. Parameters of reproductive performance included insemination rate, conception rate, pregnancy rate, and the CCI. Monthly dairy herd improvement association (DHIA) testing included milk yield and MUN concentrations. Breed and lactation number had a significant effect on milk yield, MUN concentration, lying time, BCS, and lameness (p < 0.001). Lactation number had a significant effect on P4 concentrations (p < 0.001). There was a positive correlation between lameness and milk yield (p = 0.014) and a negative correlation between lameness and MUN concentrations (p = 0.038). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dairy Cow Husbandry, Behaviour and Welfare)
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