Welfare and Comfort in Dairy Cattle: Indexes and Economic Impact

Cattle comfort is one of the main factors which influence profitability of dairy farms due to its association with involuntary culling, cow longevity, and productive life. Productive life has been defined as the number of lactations a cow completes before she is culled. A productive cow that remains longer in a farm allows for fixed and variable costs to be diluted. Furthermore, fewer replacements are needed yearly, and the producer can concentrate in voluntary culling due to low production, allowing for an improvement in the genetic potential of the herd. Cow comfort is also important from an animal welfare perspective. Different methods to quantify dairy cattle comfort have been developed through the years. These have turned into useful indexes that point to general management flaws or inadequate facility design which increases the probability of a cow prematurely leaving the herd. This article reviews some of these indicators, their practical applications, and their effects on dairy farm profitability. Cow Hygiene Cow hygiene or cleanliness is an indicator of the characteristics of the environment in which cattle is kept. The presence of wet or dried caked manure in extremities (particularly posterior) and/or flanks, and a matted hair coat, usually indicate not enough bedding is added, overcrowding, and/or inadequate stall design. Aside from compromised comfort, dirty cows are at greater risk of developing intramammary infections once environmental bacteria penetrate the teat canal. Reneau et al. (2005) evaluated the relationship between cow hygiene and somatic cell counts (SCC) using a scale modified from that originally developed by Chiappini et al (1994). They used a scale from 1 to 5 (Figure 1), where 1 was a completely clean cow, and 5 a very dirty one. Cow hygiene was scored within two days of the monthly DHIA test in nine dairies (1,093 total cows). Udder and posterior lower legs scores were combined into one. Somatic cell counts increased as the score for udder, legs, and the composited score increased.