Reduce Their Stress, Increase Your Profits

 

Stress in dairy cows isn’t just an animal welfare issue. It’s also a production problem that has a direct impact on the economic viability of your dairy operation. When cows are stressed, their production drops … they become ill … they have accidents and become lame. All those things can make or break your bottom line.

 

While it is difficult to quantify exactly how much stress can affect profits, it’s clear that stress affects immunity and production. Consequently, more and more producers are developing an interest in this topic. And, more and more researchers are working to identify the sources of stress.

 

Jeffrey Rushen, Ph.D., research scientist for the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre in British Columbia, Canada, is one of those researchers. He is also adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia and co-author of a book, The Welfare of Cattle.

 

When he talked with Bovine Health Watch, he described the findings of recent research studies and shared recommendations about ways to reduce stress in dairy herds.

 

Q. What are the trends related to reducing stress in livestock?

A. Reducing stress in livestock has become an issue on several fronts. First of all, consumers have become concerned about the way livestock is raised; consequently, retailers are looking for economical ways to assess welfare on farms. Governments are trying to help dairies develop methods to enhance animal treatment and reduce production problems. And, researchers are trying to identify causes of stress, as well as alternative housing and management strategies to reduce it. 

 

Q. How does housing contribute to stress?

A. Several things can be problematic when it comes to housing. Flooring is a big issue in relation to lameness. Cows are used to soft footing, such as pastures. In many dairy situations, they are on concrete, often with rough edges that can cause injuries. There are also cleanliness and wetness issues. Wet floors are a big problem. The moisture softens hooves and makes them susceptible to digital dermatitis, and the slurry that calves stand on acts as a bacterial reservoir for the hoof.

 

Q. What can be done to lessen problems with flooring?

A. We’ve done research looking at the advantages of rubber flooring and ways to give cows access to pasture more often. Research shows that this improves hoof health. We know we are not going to put them out in large numbers for long periods of time, but we’re looking at ways to use this technique and things like rubber flooring instead of concrete.

 

Q. Does the density of cattle affect stress levels?

A. Some colleagues of mine are studying density, and they have found that more than one cow per stall increases the incidence of lameness. Also, the design of free stalls can be too small. We don’t have a good measure about how large dairy cows have become. But, we know they have become bigger, and stall size is based on old recommendations. So, they are too small. In general, producers try to squeeze too many cows into a given space.

 

Q. How important is bedding?

A. There is pressure to reduce the use of bedding because of the cost and problems with storage that can result in increased mastitis. But, if you don’t use bedding, cows are not going to lie down, because it is uncomfortable. So, they stand on the wet surface, which causes the problems we’ve talked about. 

We are trying to find out what and how much producers can use for bedding. Sand bedding or geotextile (crumbled rubber) are two commonly used materials. From what we know now, sand seems to be the best alternative.

 

Q. What about the ways cows are handled? How does that figure into herd stress?

A. Cows are very sensitive to the way people treat them. If they are hit or yelled at, they associate the treatment with the people who have delivered it. They shy away. And, research has shown that cows put out as much as 2 liters less milk (approximately one- half gallon) at a single milking when handled by a person who delivers rough treatment.

 

People are not aware of how sensitive cows are to us and what we do to them. They can recognize people by their faces, and they can become very frightened of the ones who do not treat them well. We put video cameras in a pen and watched how cows react to the people around them. We also gave cows choices to see what kind of handling they preferred. We provided two chutes in different directions, with different types of handling. We gave them a choice between being prodded with an electric prod, or being yelled at, and they had no preference. For them it was just as bad being yelled at as being prodded. 

 

When people are rushed, they get impatient, and the cows can sense it. This is where robotic milking systems could have advantages. The cows are not handled as much by people and can go to milking at their own pace. This is not to say all farmers are bad; most handle animals well, but even the best of people have a bad day and lose their tempers. Sometimes it’s better to take the people out of the system altogether.

 

Q. But isn’t the impersonal nature of automation a source of stress for cows?

A. Surprisingly, our casual observations showed that cows are more apt to approach people in automated systems than in people-managed systems. You are taking the emotion and rush out of the process. Automated feeders can also tell you when animals are getting sick because they record what each animal is eating or drinking. When cows are sick, they eat less.

 

Q. How does all this stress affect the cow?

A. We know a lot about the effects of stress on the immune system. It makes the animal more susceptible to all kinds of diseases. It’s difficult to do studies on cattle, so most of the research is done on lab animals, but there is enough research that we can be fairly sure chronic stress on cows will have a negative effect on the immune system.

 

Q. What other animal welfare research is on the horizon?

A. Another area we’ve been looking at is group housing for calves. Too many producers rely on individual housing, which takes so much labor. Group-housed calves get more space and can run around more—and we know exercise is beneficial, especially for younger animals. Plus, they are getting more social contact with other calves; that contact is important in developing their social skills and sense of belonging. It’s good for the long-term well-being of the animals—and it looks more natural to the public.

Another study looking at the advantages of feeding extra milk to calves has found a considerable advantage in weight gain when feeding twice the recommended levels. Recommended levels used to be equivalent to 8-10 percent of body weight; we are now recommending 20 percent. A rough rule of thumb used to be that calves would gain about 1 lb. a day, but we get 2.25 lbs. when we double the milk. 

 

Q. What are the biggest mistakes producers make when it comes to stress in herds?

A. The biggest mistakes we see are: not using bedding, underfeeding calves, relying on individual housing and providing bad flooring and poor drainage.

 

1. Avoid overcrowding

2. Consider group housing for calves

3. If using individual stalls, make sure they are large enough

4. Use good rubber flooring; reduce time cows spend on concrete

5. Keep floors dry

6. Shield cows from heat

7. Avoid rough handling

8. Consider automated milking and feeding systems

9. Provide ample bedding; sand seems to be best

 

Kevin and Annetta Herrington think they’ve found the answer when it comes to keeping cows eating. It’s AgriLabs’ RESPOND, a digestion-enhancing product they have used for about a year now—with impressive results.

 

“We use it on pretty much any cow that’s off feed,” said Kevin. “That includes fresh cows, cows that have had a flair-up with mastitis or those with any decrease in appetite.” Kevin and his wife Annetta operate Kevetta Farms, a third generation, family-owned, 40-cow dairy farm in Dansville, N.Y. 

 

They’ve used the product so widely because the cows “respond” so quickly in their high pedigree, half Holstein/half Jersey herd, which their daughter, Jessica, and son, Tyler, help them maintain.

 

“We’ve had faster response than any other product we have used, whether it’s a bolus or paste,” Kevin said. “RESPOND works faster than any of them, and we rarely have to use it twice. Within 12 to 24 hours, they are taking off again.”

 

”Basically, by the next milking, they are eating again and up on milk, and they just look better,” he elaborated. “It’s almost strange they respond so fast to it. At first we thought it was just the cow, but then it worked the same way on the other cows. Only once have we used it a second time, so that makes it a whole lot cheaper.”

 

In addition to its speed, effectiveness and economy, RESPOND can also be used in conjunction with antibiotics, a feature the Herringtons appreciate. 

 

“The other appetite-stimulating compounds we have used are neutralized by antibiotics,” Annetta explained, “so this is a benefit we really like.”

 

RESPOND, available in bolus, paste or dispersible powder, delivers a unique blend of production and health-specific vitamins, minerals, essential oils and bio-available trace minerals that significantly improve dry matter intake and average daily gains, especially in times of stress. Clinical studies show higher yields of energy and protein from feed resulting from its proprietary Aspergillus oryzae fermentation extract, which stimulates appetite, especially during times of low feed intake.

 

The Herringtons only had to test it for a short time to get the same results.

 

“We’ve tried a lot of different products,” Kevin offered. “We have a very small herd, so we are always looking for something that gives us an edge. RESPOND is one of the few products we knew we were happy with right away. We think everything is expensive, but we don’t hesitate to spend money on quality products.”