Facilities & Cow Comfort

Transcription

1 Facilities & Cow Comfort Evaluating Systems Chuck Guard Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

2 This is cow comfort! But not ideal for udder health control

3 Philosophy Anticipate and include the spatial, social and climatic needs of the cow in design and layout of dairy facilities Build things to suit the cow not the man Comfort pays in milk production, health & longevity

4 Ideals ABC s Air Fresh, dry, clean Bunk Feed always available without obstacles or competition Comfort A desirable place to lie down and rise without risk of injury + protection from thermal stress

5 Air Ventilation systems unless dry lot Passive if conditions permit Barns with open side walls 4.25 m high Open ridge if 2 slopes to roof 5 cm opening for each 3 m width Roof pitch 4 in 12

6 Preferred Roof Slope 18.5 degrees 4 12

7 Temperate Climates Needed are: Ability to control heat stress in summer Moderate the effects of cold in winter Insure adequate air exchange to control humidity and ammonia Both active and passive systems can work Barn location can greatly favor passive systems

8 In hot climates - no sides

9 Fans to increase airspeed Goal is 9 12 km/hr at cow level

10 Very large fans with deflectors

11 Outside free access if dry

12 Cross ventilation with cooling pads

13 Supplemental Cooling Heat loss directly from cow via evaporation of water Questions are: When and where to wet the cows? How much water to use? How to facilitate the evaporation? Efficiency related to relative humidity

14 Supplemental Cooling Before or after milking parlor At feed manger Separate facility When temperature/humidity index is very high cooling will only be by conduction to the water

15 Relative Temperature - Humidity Interaction and Cow Comfort Ambient Temperature Humidity

16 Supplemental Cooling A fine mist will be trapped on the ends of the hairs An entrapped air layer will actually insulate the cow The goal is to soak the cow to the skin Big water droplets and 2 to 3 liters per cow Water draining from the cow may make environmental humidity higher

17 Supplemental Cooling Fans can greatly aid in evaporation In parlor holding pen: Water on for 30 sec Fans on for 5 min Repeat cycle In barn - must have fans where cows stand or rest

18 Cooling cows waiting to be milked - Efficient use of water

19 Manual cooling

20 Water sprinklers cool cows while eating

21 Spray nozzle low opening pressure no drips or draining of supply line between cycles

22 Soaking cows with water after milking

23 Shade over parlor holding pen

24 Shade without stalls comfort & hygiene???

25 Feed Bunk Considerations Enough space for >80 % of cows to eat at the same time Level of feed surface 8 to 15 cm above level of cow alley Feed bunk surface resistant to acids and easy to clean Barrier between cow and feed placed to be cow friendly Adequate space behind eating cows for 2-way cow traffic

26 Adequate bunk space 3-row freestall pens limit feed access compared to 2-row pens

27 Front feet are spread to reach the ground Raise the feed bunk level

28 Elevated bunks: less saliva & more waste

29 Feed bunk surfaces: glazed tile or polyethylene

30 Barrier right height & position

31 Protect feed and cows from sun and rain less important for heifers

32 Measuring Stall Comfort Time available to use stalls Cow numbers v. stall numbers Grouping strategy Feeding schedule

33 Time management for cows Lying in stalls 14 hours * Away from stalls to milk 3 Eating & drinking 4 Exercise & socializing 2 Management activities 1 total 24 * Lying mammary blood flow milk synthesis

34 Time management for cows Most common violations of ideals are in milking time & management activities Parlor capacity must be adequate to milk each group in 60 min if 3X or 90 min if 2X Management activities ( breeding, medication, vaccination, veterinary tasks) need to be completed in 1 hour per group Organize the work by day of the week to distribute the impact over more days

35 Time management for cows Maximum 3 h / day Maximum 1 h / day

36 Time management for cows Feeding management Even in tie stall barns with feed continuously available cows are meal eaters - 6 to 9 meals per day Largest meal between 0600 and 0900 Smaller meals about every 2 hours until late evening Usually resting from 2200 until 0400

37 Time management for cows When is fresh feed available? Any access limitations? Feeding management 0900 h

38 Barn Capacity Ideal is 1 cow per stall Fresh and close-up pens 0.8 cow per stall Many dairies in USA operate at higher densities 1.1 to 1.3 cow per stall Different economic system without quotas Higher marginal profit from more cows even if individual cow performance decreased?

39 Barn Capacity 1.3 cows / stall 1.0 cows / stall

40 Problems with overcrowding Herd behavior characteristics of cattle Grouping strategies Separating 1 st lactation from older cows Barn Capacity

41 Measuring Stall Comfort Look at the cows and the stalls Goal: >90% of cows using stalls are lying in them properly

42 Measuring Stall Comfort You might be mislead by one examination of the stalls but the manure on the cows tells more about average conditions Cows and stalls are both clean = good stall maintenance

43 Measuring Stall Comfort Cleanliness scoring scheme 1 manure only up to dewclaws 2 manure only up to hocks 3 manure on flanks & udder 4 whole body dirty

44 Cleanliness Scoring

45 Cleanliness Scoring Things other than the stall conditions may result in dirty cows

46 Why care about dirty feet? Direct contact between feet - legs and teats udder when lying in a stall

47 Measuring Stall Comfort Ideal = 14 hours lying per day How can we measure this? Frequent visits to the barn Hire someone to watch all the time Time lapse video recording

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49 Measuring Stall Comfort Observing individual cows has value Do they fit the stalls? Do they align properly? Do they have injuries from the stalls? How are stalls maintained?

50 Measuring Stall Comfort Do they fit?

51 Measuring Stall Comfort Alignment within the stall

52 Measuring Stall Comfort Stall caused lesions

53 Measuring Stall Comfort Hocks tell about stalls

54 Measuring Stall Comfort Watch the cows for information about the feed bunk management also.

55 Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

56 Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

57 Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

58 Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance Sand on concrete platforms

59 Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance Deep bedded stalls should be filled to the top of the curb

60 Stall Construction & Barriers Examine critically the parts that define the stall Do they permit comfortable entry, lying, rising and exiting? Is the bed soft and clean? Do the knee drop test Can the cow breathe clean air when lying?

61 Stall Divider Configuration Neck rail too low Obstruction in front

62 Stall Divider Configuration New but wrong Very old & unfriendly to cows

63 Air quality when lying down Which stall do you think the cows prefer?

64 Stall Divider Configuration

65 Stall Divider Configuration

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