Contents. 1. Introduction 2. Soft or hard walkway flooring 3. Some other aspects of walkway flooring design 4. Walkway flooring in the future

Transcription

1 Design of walkway floors for dairy heifers and cows in loose housing systems a subject of discussion Michael Ventorp Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences Contents 1. Introduction 2. Soft or hard walkway flooring 3. Some other aspects of walkway flooring design 4. Walkway flooring in the future 2 22 et 23 octobre Lille 1

2 Introduction Claw diseases a common group of suffering by dairy cattle in loose housing systems: Laminits related (metabolic and traumatic* causes) Hygiene related Infectious (* e.g. physical forces because of inappropriate floor design) 3 Introduction For instance in Great Britain: 55 % lameness, of which: Sole ulcer: 28 % Abscesses in white line: 22 % Digital dermatitis: 8 % [Clarkson et al. 1996] 4 22 et 23 octobre Lille 2

3 Introduction Claw diseases are costly for the farmer and painfull for the animals A sole ulcer amount to about 500 in direct and indirect* costs [Esselmont & Spicer, 1996; Bergsten 2009] Likely profitable to invest in appropriate floor design * e.g. milk yield reduction, diminshed fertility, increased work-load and illness complications 5 Hypothesis - statement Common (concrete) solid or slatted floors are often far too: hard slippery dirty wet and causes many of the laminitis and hygiene related claw diseases! 6 22 et 23 octobre Lille 3

4 Own study: floor softness/hardness Materials & Methods Heifers were followed from one year before expected calving throughout their 1 st lactation Heifers: two area straw yard or cubicle and concrete passageway floor 1 st lactation cows: concrete or rubber slatted floor and cubicles SOFT PASTURE HARD 7 Table 1. Effect on claw diseases of 1 st calvers on slatted concrete floor compared to slatted rubber. Odds Ratio (OR) and results of likelihood ratio test (PLR ). N=118 Claw disease OR P LR Heel horn erosion Digital dermatitis Haemorrhages of sole including sole ulcer Haemorrhages of white line et 23 octobre Lille 4

5 Table 2 Effect on leg injures and lameness of 1 st first calvers housed on slatted concrete floor compared to slatted rubber. Odds Ratio (OR) and results of likelihood ratio test (PLR ). N=118 Leg injuries OR P LR Hairlessness Sore Swellings Lameness Figure hour time budget on different walkway floor material [Olsson et al. 2005] 70 Maybe the cause of better leg health? *** % of 24 hour *** * * Slatted conrete floor Mastic asphalt Rubber mats 0 Lying in cubicle Eating at feeding table Standing/walking in alleys Standing in cubicle et 23 octobre Lille 5

6 Table 3. Effect on claw diseases of heifers in two area straw yard compared to solid concrete floor. Odds Ratio (OR) and results of likelihood ratio test (PLR ). N=139 Claw disease OR P LR Heel horn erosion Digital dermatitis Haemorrhages of sole including sole ulcer Haemorrhages of white line Table 4. Claw health of 1 st calvers on different walkway floors dependent on flooring during time as heifers. N=118 Floor Per cent healthy 1 st calvers.. of heifers Straw bed Concrete Straw bed Concrete of 1 st calvers Concrete Rubber Heel horn erosion Digital dermatitis Haemorrhages of sole including sole ulcer Haemorrhages of white line et 23 octobre Lille 6

7 Own study: floor softness/hardness Conclusion Soft (rubber) walkway floor to cows (and heifers) is to prefer Hard walkway floor to heifers is to prefer if hard walkway floor to cows is used No floor changing around calving (probably months of adaptation) 13 Feed-stalls (feeding stands with partitions) The purpose of feed-stall: soft, dry and clean floor; and scrapers do not disturb the cows when eating et 23 octobre Lille 7

8 Feed-stalls Displacement per cow and 24 hours period. N=32 No of displacements Without feed-stall With feed-stall 15 Combining solid and slatted floor Solid floor is more animal friendly but slatted floor has better drainage capacity. Combine them! et 23 octobre Lille 8

9 Walkway flooring in the future Soft floor (e.g. rubber with some claw wearing off or combined with some abrasive area - pedicure areas ) Solid floors with drainage capacity to a certain extent combined with frequent scraping Heifers legs and feet adapted to the cows floor no changing from soft to hard floor around calving (± 3 month?) Feed-stalls et 23 octobre Lille 9