PhD Oral Defence: A cow in motion: The impact of housing systems on movement opportunity of dairy cows and the implications on locomotor activity, behaviour, and welfare
PhD Oral Defence of Elise Shepley, Animal Science
How do you provide a dairy cow with more opportunity to move and what happens when you do? Within the dairy industry exists an array of different housing systems which range from very restrictive (tie-stall housing) to more minimally restrictive (pasture) as well as different characteristics within housing systems that can substantially impact the cow鈥檚 ability to perform locomotor activities and, thus, limit her movement opportunity. With a focus on comparing housing systems that offer differing levels of movement opportunity, the objectives of this thesis were to 1) validate the technology that we use to measure locomotor activity within a tie-stall system, 2) determine whether providing tie-stall cows with a deep-bedded loose pen during the dry period increases locomotor activity, improved gait, and benefited lying behaviours, and 3) investigate the differences in locomotor activity and time budget of cows housed in free-stall and strawyard housing systems both in the winter after a restricted period of time indoor and in the summer following a period of free-access to pasture. Each objective is designed to further the scientific knowledge of how movement opportunity can be provided to cows through changes to their housing and the benefits that result, providing additional considerations for future recommendations for the housing and management of dairy cows.
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