Troubleshooting Design-Based Cow Comfort Issues

Troubleshooting Design-BasedCow Comfort Issues

Dan F. McFarland, M.S., Agricultural Engineering Educator

• Excellent air quality

• Dry, comfortable resting area

• Good access to feed

• Good access to water

• Confident footing

• Simple cow movement & handling

• Good observation

• Simple sorting, isolation & restraint

• Easy feed delivery, management & removal

• Easy manure collection & removal

Dairy Shelter Basics

Troubleshooting Cow Comfort Issues

• What’s the problem?

– Production

– Feed intake

– Lameness

– Health

– Injury

– Reproduction

Dairy Cow Daily Time Budget Activity Time per day

Eating 3 to 5 hrs

Resting 12 to 14 hrs

Social Interactions 2 to 3 hrs

Ruminating (resting & standing) 7 to 10 hrs

Drinking 0.5 hrs

Outside pen (milking, travel) 2.5 to 3.5 hrs

Source: Grant, 2006

20.5 – 21.5 hrs/day

• Need to measure

– Space• Length, width, height

– Time

– Percentage

• Need to observe

– Takes time

– Time-lapse photograpy

Troubleshooting Cow Comfort Issues

(110 – 96)

96X 100 = 14.6%

Troubleshooting Cow Comfort Issues• Air quality

• Resting time & stall use

• Feed & water access

• Lameness

• Injury

• Cleanliness

• Time away from pen

• Stocking density

• Heat stress

Common factors that limit cow comfort & performance

• Stocking density

• Resting area

• Feed access & availability

• Time away from pen

• Heat stress

Dairy Facility Risk Factors FeedingWaterAir QualityHeat Stress Abatement StallsOvercrowding

Stocking Density

• Overcrowding

– ((Total cows – Total Stalls) / (Total Stalls) x 100

– ((144 cows– 120 stalls) / (120 stalls) x 100 = 20%

• Population

– ((Total cows) / (Total stalls))

– ((144 cows) / (120 stalls)) = 1.20 cows per stall

Stock Density & Milk Production

<80% 80 – 100% 100 – 120% >120%

Milk yield, lbs/d

68.1 64.3 64.4 52.7

Std. deviation ±3.3 ±6.4 ±8.1 ±5.1

(Bach et al., 2008)

What are the economics associated with losing 12 pounds of milk per day?

(Grant, 2014)

• Greater aggression & bunk displacements

• Faster feeding rate

• Less resting time

• Increase idle standing in alleys

• Decreased rumination

• Subordinate cows most affected

• Reduced milk yield

• Lower milk fat

• Greater SSC

• More health disorders

• Increased lameness

• Fewer cows pregnant

Summary of cow response to overcrowding

Behavior ChangePossible Economic

Losses

Source: Grant, 2014

What is Optimal?

• Lactating Cows

– 2- row groups: Don’t exceed 115 – 120%

• Mixed 1st lactation & older cows: 100%

– 3 row groups: 100% of stalls

• Close-up & Fresh Cows

– 30” feed space per cow

– Ensure stall availability

Source: Grant, 2014

Cows rest 10 to 14 hours per dayFreestalls Tie stalls

Bedded Pen / Pack “Compost” Bedded Pack

Trouble-shooting the resting area

Resting Area Design & Management

• Resting area design and installation– Encourage cows to use

– Provide comfort & a confident footing

– Promote cleanliness & udder health

• Cows will sacrifice eating time to compensate for lost resting time

• Cows will increase feeding rate to make up for reduction in eating time

– ‘slug’ feeding

Lying time takes priority over eating

Sources: Metz, 1985; Hopster et al., 2002; Munsgaard et al., 2005; Cooper et al., 2007)

Indicators of Resting Area Comfort• Locomotion scoring

– LS 1: >75% ; LS 2: < 15%

• Hock assessment

– Score 1: >95%+ ; Score 2: <5%

• Hygiene scoring

– Score 1 & 2: >90%

Stall Use Measurements

• Cow Comfort Index (CCI)

– ((Total lying in stalls) / (Total touching stall)) x 100

• Stall Use Index (SUI)

– ((Total lying in stalls) / (Total not eating)) x 100

> 85% desired

> 75% desired

“Cyclical” Cow Behavior

• Resting Behavior

– lowest % stall use one hour post-milking

• high % at feeding area

– sharp % increase during next few hours

– high % during night and early morning hours

Source: Overton, 2003

09:12 am

14:04 pm

Heat Stress also affects resting behavior

Don’t be fooled by overstocking

Physical Freestall Components

• Dimensions

• Structure

• Stall Bed

• Bedding

BODYSPACE

HEADSPACE

LUNGESPACE

Suggested Freestall Dimensions

Animal

Weight

CF Stall

Length

OF Stall

Length

BL

Length

NR

Length

Stall

Width

Partition

Height

NR

Height

900 - 1,100 90-96” 70-82” 64-66” 62-64” 41-43” 42-44” 42-44”

1,100- 1,300 96-102” 80-86” 66-68” 64-66” 43-45” 44-46” 44-46”

1,300- 1,500 102-108” 90-96” 68-70” 66-68” 45-48” 46-48” 46-48”

1,500- 1,700 108- 114” 96-102” 70-72” 68-70” 48-52” 48-52” 48-52”

Source: Graves, McFarland, Tyson & Wilson, 2005

Select dimensions for the largest cows in the group

Perching

Excessive Standing

Improper Neck Rail Position

?a

b

c

a2 + b2 = c2

Neck Rail Position

?

a

b

c

b2 = c2 - a2

Neck Rail Position

Neck Rail Position Position for the largest cows in the group

Brisket Locator Position

Discourages forward movement when resting

Adequate body space for comfortable resting

Position for the largest cows in the group

‘Restless’ Posture

‘Restful’ Posture

Caregiver Responsibility

Stall Grooming Bedding Addition

Feed Access & Availability

Feeding Space

• Lactating cows

– All-at-once: 27 - 30”/ hd

– TMR: 18”/hd

• Good access & time

• Dry cows

– All-at-once: 27 - 30”/ hd

• Post-fresh cows

– All-at-once: 27 - 30”/ hd

cow alley

cow alley

feed delivery alley

21 freestalls

21 freestalls

21 freestalls

21 freestalls

cow alley

cow alley

feed delivery alley

34 freestalls

13 freestalls

13 freestalls

12 freestalls

12 freestalls

2-row vs. 3-row Freestall Shelter Comparison

2-row freestall:~ 27”to 30” per stall

3-row freestall:~ 19”to 20” per stall

cow alley

cow alley

feed delivery alley

21 freestalls

21 freestalls

21 freestalls

21 freestalls

cow alley

cow alley

feed delivery alley

34 freestalls

13 freestalls

13 freestalls

12 freestalls

12 freestalls

2-row vs. 3-row Freestall Shelter Comparison

Crossovers every60 to 80 feet

• Post & Rail

– 48” high

– 8” to 12” forward

Feed Barrier

Cows willing to exert 500 lbs. pressure to eat- 225 lbs. causes tissue damage

Feed Barrier• Headlocks

4” to 6”

Good Access to Feed

• Feed available 21 hours/day

• TMR delivered 2 times/day

• Target for 3% refusal

• Bunk density < 100%

• ½ hour push ups for 2 hours post-feeding

– Focus on when, not how often

Source: Grant, 2014

Group Housing Water Access• 2 water stations per group (minimum)

• 2” to 4” accessible trough perimeter per cow

• Allow multiple cows to drink at same time

Water Station Location

“Cows should be no further than 50 feet from water”- J. Spain, University of Missouri

W W W

Time Away From Pen

• Can limit:

– Resting time

– Feeding time

– Access to feed

Goal:Less than 3 h/d

Time Away From Pen

• 3 vs. 6 hours per day (Matzke, 2003)

– ~ 2.5 to 4 h/d change in rest

– ~ 5 to 8 lbs/d change in milk

• Lameness prevalence in productive herds highly associated with greater time outside pen (Espejo and Endres, 2007) 0

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8

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(h/d

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ilk

(lb

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Cows Heifers

Rest

Milk

Signs of Heat Stress in Dairy Cattle

• Rectal temperature above 102.5oF

• Respiration rates over 80 breaths per minute

• DMI & milk production drops 10%

Source: Shearer, Bray & Bucklin

“SAAWW” to Reduce Heat Stress

• Shade– Natural

– Artificial

• Air– Air exchange

– Air movement

• Water– Drinking

– Evaporative cooling

Rumination BehaviorOvercrowding

-10 to 20%

Mixedparity pens

-19%

Excessiveheadlock time

-14%8 to 9 h/d

Heat Stress-10 to 22%

Source: Grant, 2006

Thank you!

Questions?