| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Ferneborg, Sabine, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of Low Light Intensity on Stress Indicators in Dairy Cows
- 2014
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Ingår i: Animal Production in Australia. - 0728-5965. ; 30, s. 152-152
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- One of the most important senses for cows is vision, which accounts for approximately 50% of all sensory information (Phillips 2002). It has been shown that cows’ vision differs from that of humans (Phillips and Weiguo 1990), but how cows perceive different light intensities is not yet known (Phillips et al 2000). There is a concern that lighting at night might interfere with cows’ diurnal rhythm and the benefits of certain long day photoperiods. Red light has been suggested to affect cows less than white light and red lights are therefore marketed as night lighting for cows. Using red lights should in theory make it possible for stockmen to observe their animals without disturbing them (Dahl 2005). However, it has also been found that cows are more active when exposed to red light compared to light of other colours (Dabrowska I 1981; Riol et al 1989; Phillips and Lomas 2001). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of four low light intensities and additional red light on behavioural and physiological stress indicators in dairy cows. The change-over trial included four groups of cows and four different light intensity treatments, in total 12 dry cows of the breeds Swedish Red (n=10) and Swedish Holstein (n=2). Each group of three cows was in the study for four consecutive days, exposed to one light intensity treatment per day. The light intensities used in the study were 0±0, 5±1, 20±1 and 50±2 lux, with and without the addition of 0.2±0.1 lux red light. The light sources used were a combination of fluorescent, halogen and LED. The cows were encouraged to walk through an obstacle course at all four light intensities. The cows passed through the course once in full light (221±19 lux) before each light intensity was set. The cows then passed through the same test course twice. After this, the obstacle course was rebuilt for the following two rounds, generating two new (and unfamiliar) courses. Additional red light was applied in random order for each set of obstacle courses. In total, the cows passed through the course five times per day, of which two were in additional red light. The obstacle course measured 14 m and was constructed from white rails and cavaletti blocks. When navigating through the obstacle course, the cow walked toward the single pens where the remaining two cows in the group were held and a bucket with concentrate that was used to actively encourage the cow to move. In addition, one person went behind the cow and encouraged her to move if standing still for more than approximately 15 seconds. Heart rate was measured before and after the obstacle course using a blood pressure tail cuff. Direct observations were used to record number of steps and time to pass through the obstacle course. At 0 lux, infrared light and video cameras were used in order to see the cows. The number of steps taken by cows in the obstacle course was significantly higher at 0±0 lux (16 steps) than at 5, 20 and 50 lux (14 steps per treatment, p<0.001). In the presence of red light the cows took fewer steps through the obstacle course than in the absence of red light (14 and 15 respectively, p<0.01), and the cows spent a longer time in the obstacle course at 0 lux than at 20 and 50 lux (87.4, 51.6 and 57.6 sec respectively, p<0.005). The presence of red light did not affect the time spent in the obstacle course. Heart rate did not differ between any of the treatments, and was unaffected by the presence of red light. Our conclusion is that cows walk slower and with shorter steps at 0 lux compared with 0.2 lux and higher light intensities. However, in this study the cows did not show any signs of physiological stress at low light intensities or darkness and thus it could be argued that no additional light is needed at all during night-time. We also conclude that red light may be perceived by cows as light and affect their behaviour, since the cows in this study tended to respond to red light. The recommended use of red light in cow housing should therefore be questioned.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Ferneborg, Sabine, et al.
(författare)
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Milking time and risk of over-milking can be decreased with early teat cup removal based on udder quarter milk flow without loss in milk yield
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Dairy Science. - : American Dairy Science Association. - 0022-0302 .- 1525-3198. ; 100, s. 6640-6647
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increasing the milk flow rate at which milking is terminated can shorten milking time and increase milking efficiency. The effects on milk yield and composition have not been fully investigated when the take-off is set at the udder quarter level and independent of feeding during milking. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of 3 take-off levels at the udder quarter level (0.06, 0.3, and 0.48 kg/min) applied with or without feeding during milking on milking time, milk yield, the degree of udder emptying, milk composition, and free fatty acids. In this study, 30 cows were allocated into 6 groups, balanced by lactation number, lactation stage, and milk yield, and subjected to a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments using a Latin square design. Treatments were applied for 1 wk each. This study demonstrated milking time could be reduced by applying up to a take-off level of 0.48 kg/min on udder quarter level without losing milk yield or compromising milk composition or udder health.
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| 5. |
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| 7. |
- Hellström, Malin, et al.
(författare)
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Calf or grass - What would the cow choose?
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 268
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The growing interest for keeping dairy cows with their calves for an extended period after calving is putting pressure on the scientific community to investigate the effects of cow-calf contact systems on the animals ' welfare. The main aims of this study were to investigate the dairy cows ' motivation for accessing their calves over a fresh pasture, and to evaluate if their motivation decreased with increasing calf age. Twenty-two Swedish Red and Swedish Holstein cow-calf pairs were enrolled at calving. The dams were housed in a robotic barn with free access to outdoor pasture, where the calves were kept during pasture season. The behaviours of the dams were recorded on three separate test days occurring every two weeks, starting when the calves were on average 10 weeks old. During test days, the calves were confined to a heavily grazed area, while the dams had free access both to the calf area and to an adjacent fresh pasture. Which of the areas the dams entered first upon returning outdoors from the barn, and what behaviours they performed in which area were registered using 10-min scan sampling during 8 h per day. The dams spent more time outdoors on Test day I (76.8 +/- 3.09%; LSMeans +/- SEM) compared to Day II (60.9 +/- 3.86%; P=0.006), while Day III (66.8 +/- 4.38%) did not differ from Day I (P=0.15) or Day II (P=0.55). On Test day II, they chose the calf area 54 +/- 10.05% of the times they returned to pasture, which was significantly more often than during Day I (18.2 +/- 4.96%; P=0.01), while no difference was found between Day III (37.1 +/- 9.86%) and Day I (P=0.17) or Day II (P=0.5). There was no effect of breed on total time spent outdoors, but Holstein dams tended to spend more outdoor time in the calf area (36.4 +/- 5.28%) than Swedish Red dams (24.2 +/- 3.95%; P=0.09). Upon returning outdoors, Holstein dams also chose the calf area over fresh pasture more often (46.0 +/- 7.19%) than did Swedish Red dams (25.2 +/- 6.21%; P=0.05). Primiparous cows tended to choose the calf area over fresh pasture more often (46.9 +/- 6.11%) than multiparous cows (24.5 +/- 7.25%; P=0.06). Exploratory analyses suggest that the effects of test day were more affected by the ambient weather than by the age of the calves. The study results provide some further information about factors influencing maternal motivation to reunite with their calves on pasture. However, further research is needed so that cow-calf contact systems can be designed to enable good welfare.
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| 8. |
- Hjalmarsson, Fanny, et al.
(författare)
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Effect of low light intensity at night on cow traffic in automatic milking systems
- 2014
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Ingår i: Animal Production Science. - 1836-0939 .- 1836-5787. ; 54, s. 1784-1786
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Several studies have shown benefits of long-day (16 h) photoperiod in lactating dairy cows, but have not identified a suitable light intensity for the dark hours. It is known that the locomotion pattern of dairy cows is altered at low light intensities and this may translate to reduced cow traffic and milking frequency, which would have a negative impact on system productivity. However, it is also recognised that a significant disturbance of rest may have a negative impact on the health and productivity of high-yielding dairy cows. This study examined the effect of three different night-time light intensities (LOW: 11 +/- 3, MED: 33 +/- 1 and HIGH: 74 +/- 6 lx) on number of gate passages, milking frequency and milk yield in dairy cows in automatic milking systems. The study was conducted in Sweden during the winter of 2012-13 and the treatments were applied in a crossover design to three herds with an automatic milking system. Minimum day time light intensity was 158 lx. Data on gate passages, milking frequency and milk yield for 172 +/- 49 (mean +/- s.d.) cows during the last 22 days of each 34-day study period were analysed for treatment differences and differences in daily distribution over 24 h, during day time and night time. Light intensity did not affect total number of gate passages per 24-h period and cow, but number of gate passages per hour and cow was in all treatments lower during night time than during day time. Milking frequency was increased in MED compared with both HIGH and LOW (P < 0.05). Milk yield decreased with reduced light intensity, and differed significantly between HIGH and LOW treatments, 45 +/- 1 kg and 44 +/- 1 kg, respectively (P < 0.001). Our conclusion is that reducing light intensity to 11 lx at night time does not affect cows' general activity as gate passages remained the same for all treatments. However, milk yield decreased with reduced light intensity, which might be related to a lower feed intake. We argue that providing night light for dairy cows, as required by many welfare acts, might be related to production level rather than welfare aspects and that the recommendations should be revised.
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| 9. |
- Lindkvist, Sofia, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of achromatic and chromatic lights on pupillary response, endocrinology, activity, and milk production in dairy cows
- 2021
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 16
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Artificial light can be used as a management tool to increase milk yield in dairy production. However, little is known about how cows respond to the spectral composition of light. The aim of this study was to investigate how dairy cows respond to artificial achromatic and chromatic lights. A tie-stall barn equipped with light-emitting diode (LED) light fixtures was used to create the controlled experimental light environments. Two experiments were conducted, both using dairy cows of Swedish Red and light mixtures with red, blue or white light. In experiment I, the response to light of increasing intensity on pupil size was evaluated in five pregnant non-lactating cows. In experiment II 16h of achromatic and chromatic daylight in combination with dim, achromatic night light, was tested on pregnant lactating cows during five weeks to observe long term effects on milk production, activity and circadian rhythms. Particular focus was given to possible carry over effects of blue light during the day on activity at night since this has been demonstrated in humans. Increasing intensity of white and blue light affected pupil size (P<0.001), but there was no effect on pupil size with increased intensity of red light. Milk yield was maintained throughout experiment II, and plasma melatonin was higher during dim night light than in daylight for all treatments (P<0.001). In conclusion, our results show that LED fixtures emitting red light driving the ipRGCs indirectly via ML-cones, blue light stimulating both S-cones and ipRGCs directly and a mixture of wavelengths (white light) exert similar effects on milk yield and activity in tied-up dairy cows. This suggests that the spectral composition of LED lighting in a barn is secondary to duration and intensity.
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| 10. |
- Rustas, Bengt-Ove, et al.
(författare)
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The evolutionary operation framework as a tool for herd-specific control of mastitis in dairy cows
- 2024
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Ingår i: Livestock Science. - 1871-1413 .- 1878-0490. ; 279
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mastitis is the most prevalent and costly production disease in the dairy industry, but udder health advice that helps one herd might not be beneficial for another because of “local truths”. It is therefore important to identify what mastitis control options may work in a specific herd in the conditions specific to the herd. We evaluated whether the Evolutionary Operation (EVOP) methodology could be used as a management tool to identify mastitis control options to improve udder health in dairy herds. Within an EVOP framework we conducted sequences of experiments, on each of two dairy farms in Sweden. The experiments covered interventions within 1) hygiene in cubicles, 2) milking routines, and 3) dry-off procedures. Automatically recorded somatic cell counts (SCCs) in milk were used as the response variable. The impact of the interventions on SCC was evaluated with multivariate dynamic linear models. Farmer and staff satisfaction was assessed through interviews. The EVOP methodology was successfully applied, and the farmers appreciated it. We observed herd-specific variation in the effect of the interventions, indicating that EVOP would be a feasible approach to tailor mastitis control options to individual herds. Our results indicate that the EVOP methodology could be a tool to identify and evaluate health management strategies on dairy farms.
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| 11. |
- Ternman, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Agreement between different sleep states and behaviour indicators in dairy cows
- 2014
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 160, s. 12-18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conclusive data regarding behavioural indicators of different sleep states in adult dairy cows are lacking, i.e. agreement between behavioural indicators of sleep and corresponding electrophysiological measures. Behavioural estimates for quantifying total sleep time in calves have been developed, so this study examined whether these behavioural estimates also apply for adult cows.Behaviour observations and electrophysiological readings were recorded for a total of 13 cows during one recording session per cow lasting on average 4h 22 min. Recording started when the cow was fully awake and finished when at least one probable sleep bout had been recorded. The behavioural estimates used in the study were: 'lying with head lifted and still' for non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, 'lying with head resting' for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and 'lying with head lifted and moving' for awakeness. As statistical measures of agreement between behavioural estimates and electrophysiological status (both recorded at 30s intervals), Cohen's kappa as well as sensitivity and specificity measures were calculated. Additionally, misclassifications were evaluated to better understand agreement between the behaviour and electrophysiological sleep classification. Since interval length might have affected the agreement, the output data were also aggregated into 60, 90 and 120s intervals and analysed using Wilcoxon sign-rank test to determine the most appropriate interval length.It was found that the behavioural estimates for assessing total sleep time in calves could not be applied to adult cows as they markedly overestimated NREM and REM sleep time. Behavioural estimates for NREM and REM sleep time were on average 124 +/- 17 and 14 +/- 4 min per cow, respectively, while the electrophysiological estimate for NREM and REM was on average 20 +/- 5 and 10 +/- 3 min per cow, respectively. Using the behavioural estimate 'lying with head resting', REM sleep could be identified with moderate precision, but this indicator alone likely underestimates total duration of REM sleep. Behavioural estimates for NREM sleep showed high sensitivity (81%) but low specificity (6%) while the behavioural estimates for REM sleep showed high sensitivity (70%) and moderate specificity (41%). For both categories, both sensitivity and specificity increased with increasing measurement interval length. Drowsing as identified from electrophysiological data was present mainly when the cows were lying with head lifted and still, whereas awakeness was present when the cows were lying with head lifted and moving. (C) 2014 Elsevier BM. All rights reserved.
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| 12. |
- Ternman, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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First-night effect on sleep time in dairy cows
- 2018
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In human sleep studies, the probability of discomfort from the electrodes and the change in environment usually results in first-night recordings being discarded. Sleep recordings from the first night in human subjects often differ in amount of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and the overall sleep architecture. This study investigated whether recordings of sleep states in dairy cows also show a first-night effect. Non-invasive electrophysiological recordings were carried out on nine cows of the Swedish Red breed during three consecutive 24-hour periods (recording days 1 +/- 3). Overall, cows spent 12.9 +/- 1.4 hours awake, 8.2 +/- 1 hours ruminating, 57.2 +/- 20.3 min drowsing, 44.1 +/- 20.2 min in REM sleep and 64.3 +/- 38.1 min in NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep (mean +/- SD) and there were no significant differences between recording days in total duration for any of the sleep and awake states. However, the bouts of REM sleep and rumination were longer, and the awake bouts were shorter, at night time compared to daytime, regardless of recording day. The awake bouts also showed an interaction effect with longer bouts at daytime during day 1 compared to daytime on day 3. Data on sleep and awake states recorded in adult dairy cows during three consecutive 24-h periods showed great variation in sleep time between cows, but total time for each state was not significantly affected by recording day. Further and more detailed studies of how sleep architecture is affected by recording day is necessary to fully comprehend the first-night effect in dairy cows.
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| 13. |
- Ternman, Emma
(författare)
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Geometrical method for interpolating S-peaks from cow ECG using a microcontroller
- 2015
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Ingår i: Biosystems Engineering. - : Elsevier BV. - 1537-5110 .- 1537-5129. ; 129, s. 324-328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper describes a new and computationally efficient adaptive geometrical method for improving the resolution of electrocardiogram (ECG) S-peak detection. The target device is an ECG implant for dairy cows which provides limited calculation power. The method utilises only arithmetic operations and is adaptive to individual ECG curves and electrode installation effects. The method tracks the average heights of the sample points preceding and following the S-wave peak. Comparing these heights to the long-time average values provides an estimate of the offset of the peak sample from the actual peak moment. On average, the prediction of spline interpolation on the original 512 Hz turning point is 0.043 ms more accurate than our geometrical algorithm. Both methods result in less than a 0.7 ms difference from the original data. However, the proposed method is significantly more computationally efficient than cubic spline interpolation. (C) 2014 IAgrE. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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| 14. |
- Ternman, Emma
(författare)
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Sleep in dairy cows
- 2014
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Little is known about rest and sleep in dairy cows, but it has been shown in other species that the total amount of sleep, duration of sleep bouts and distribution of sleep over 24 hours differ depending on health status, age, pregnancy and lactation. Sleep recordings conducted on cows with surgically implanted electrodes have shown that they sleep four hours per 24-hour period. In this thesis, a non-invasive electrophysiological technique for recording sleep in dairy cows was developed and used to investigate variations in sleep pattern during the lactation cycle. Non-invasive sleep recordings and behaviour observations were conducted during five hours in eight cows to validate the recording method. The data was scored for sleep and awake states according to standardised methods for human sleep scoring and earlier findings on cow sleep. The behaviours ‘lying with head resting’ and ‘lying with head lifted and still’ were compared with sleep recordings in 13 cows to evaluate the accuracy of sleep time estimates based on behavioural indicators. To investigate whether the research equipment caused a first-night effect in sleep time in dairy cows, nine cows were studied over three consecutive 24-hour periods. Sleep was also recorded in 19 dairy cows on seven occasions to investigate variations in sleep time during a lactation cycle. It was possible to distinguish sleep and awake states in data recorded with the non-invasive electrophysiological technique in unrestricted dairy cows. Using behaviour estimates only, sleep was greatly overestimated because drowsing and sleeping can be performed in the same position. The electrophysiological recordings conducted during the first out of three consecutive 24-hour periods provide adequate data on total sleep time in dairy cows. In conclusion, the results show that cows sleep less and ruminate more in early and peak lactation compared with late lactation and dry period. Cows lie down to rest and it is therefore important to ensure that they have enough time to do so.
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| 15. |
- Ternman, Emma, et al.
(författare)
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Sleep in dairy cows recorded with a non-invasive EEG technique
- 2012
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 140, s. 25-32
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sufficient sleep time is important for both an adequate metabolic system and the immune function. Sleep in animals is often estimated by behavioural observations, or recorded on restrained animals with invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) techniques, which might affect sleep patterns. Earlier studies on sleep in cows showed that they sleep about 4 h per day and drowse almost twice the time. The aim of this study was to record and differentiate between vigilance states in dairy cows using a non-invasive EEG method. Brain activity (electroencephalography, EEG), eye movements (electrooculography, EOG) and muscle activity (electromyography, EMG) were recorded for 6 h per animal using surface-attached electrodes to measure different vigilance states. Behaviour registrations from direct observations were combined with the EEG data in order to confirm the identification of different vigilance states from the EEG, EOG and EMG recordings. 8 dry dairy cows, lactation number 1-8 and age 3-11 years, of the Swedish Red breed from the research herd at Kungsängen Research Centre, Uppsala, Sweden, were used in the study. The EEG recordings showed that non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep displayed low frequency waves, sometimes with slow wave activity. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and alert wakefulness shared similar features of desynchronised waves with varying frequency and could be differentiated by reduced neck muscle activity during REM sleep. The main conclusion from this study is that it is possible to distinguish different vigilance states in dairy cows using surface-attached EEG electrodes.
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| 18. |
- Wegner, Claire, et al.
(författare)
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Lying behaviour of lactating dairy cows in a cow-calf contact freestall system
- 2023
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 259
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conventional dairy farming practices usually involve early separation of calves from their dams. Cow-calf contact (CCC) systems may offer an alternative rearing solution that allows for the expression of natural behaviours, such as suckling and bonding. However, literature exploring the effects of CCC systems on lying behaviours of lactating cows is limited. Thus, the aims of this study were to assess: (1) the lying behaviours of lactating dairy cows with and without access to a CCC area, and (2) freestall use and lying patterns of cows and calves with access to a CCC area over a 14-week suckling period. Cow-calf pairs (Swedish Holstein: n = 15; Swedish Red: n = 25) were assigned one of two treatments after calving: dam-calf contact rearing (full contact; FC, n = 19), where calves were housed in a CCC area in the same facility as their dams, or separation shortly after parturition (no contact; NC, n = 18). The CCC area contained stalls and concentrate feeders which only FC cows had access to. Daily lying time - as well as the duration and frequency of lying bouts - was collected for cows automatically using leg-mounted tri-axial accelerometers. Video recordings were also collected and used to perform scan sampling of cow and calf lying location at 10-minute intervals for a 24-hour period each week. Behavioural data was collected during 14 weeks, starting when all cow-calf pairs had entered the experimental pen and continuing until separation. Access to full CCC did not affect daily lying time nor the frequency of lying bouts. Overall, mean daily lying time increased with stage of lactation. Lying bout duration and frequency were affected by an interaction between stage of lactation and parity, with the frequency of lying bouts decreasing as lactation progressed, but only for primiparous cows in post-peak lactation. Average bout duration increased with stage of lactation for primiparous cows, and from early to post-peak lactation for multiparous cows. Moreover, there was an interactive effect of treatment and parity on lying bout duration, with multiparous FC cows performing longer bouts than primiparous FC cows. FC cows spent 77.3(28.4)% (mean(SD)) of their total lying time within the CCC area across all weeks. These results combined indicate that lying behaviour in this CCC system was likely influenced by factors other than CCC. Furthermore, cows with access to CCC maintained their individual patterns of stall use throughout the suckling period investigated in this study.
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