Effects of anti-skid rubber mat on behaviour, stress level and milk yield in dairy cows
In the present study, the effects of anti-skid rubber mat on the behaviour, stress level and milk yield of dairy cows were evaluated. Forty dairy cows from two anti-skid rubber mat (RM)-enriched farms (n=20) and two concrete flooring (CF) farms (n=20) were selected for the study. The lying, stand...
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| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/104783/1/FPV%202021%2023%20IR.pdf |
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| Summary: | In the present study, the effects of anti-skid rubber mat on the behaviour, stress
level and milk yield of dairy cows were evaluated. Forty dairy cows from two
anti-skid rubber mat (RM)-enriched farms (n=20) and two concrete flooring
(CF) farms (n=20) were selected for the study. The lying, standing, walking,
feeding and drinking behaviour of these cows were recorded for two hours daily
for five days and further analysed off-line using the Solomon Coder© software.
Results showed that cows reared on RM have a significantly higher (p<0.05)
frequency and duration (sec) of lying behaviour compared to cows reared on
CF, with values (mean ± SD) of 4.96 ± 1.33 and 3950.75 ± 744.48 (RM farms)
versus 2.26 ± 1.29 and 1959.6 ± 762.84 (CF farms). However, the frequency
and duration (sec) of standing behaviour were significantly higher for CF farms
(CF: 6.22 ± 1.66 and 4082.73 ± 775.46 versus RM: 4.10 ± 1.49 and 2388.42 ±
801.11). A retrospective analysis of the average milk yield of cows reared on
RM (n=20) indicated a significantly higher milk yield (17.8 ± 0.84 L) than cows
reared on CF farms (n=20) (7.55 ± 0.72 L), p<0.05. Results from the glucose
tolerance test (GTT), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-challenge and total
white blood cell count conducted on five random cows from each RM and CF
farm were not significantly different. However, data from the
adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-challenge showed that the average basal
concentration level of cortisol in cows from CF farms was significantly higher
(p<0.05) compared to cows reared on RM (38.1 ± 23.9 ng/ml versus 17.2 ±
10.8 ng/ml), indicating a higher level of stress. In conclusion, the anti-skid
rubber mat encourages the natural behaviour of dairy cows such as lying and
an improvement in milk yield without significant effect on the stress levels of the
cows under study. However, since many factors contribute to the production of
milk, it is recommended that future studies include other parameters such as
environmental factors, management systems, types and duration of rubber
mats used, in addition to nutritional and feed intake of cows from each farm. |
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