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- Title
Hock lesion and hygiene score by stall bed type in commercial U.S. dairy cows.
- Authors
Fulwider, W.; Grandin, T.; Lamm, D.; Dalsted, N.; Garrick, D.; Rollin, B.
- Abstract
A total of 7,432 cows were scored in 72 dairies from WI, MN, and IA between October 2005 and February 2006 to determine hock lesion incidence and level of hygiene. The data set included 28 rubber-filled mattress, 22 sand, and 22 waterbed dairies. Compost pack dairies were represented by an additional 596 cows on 6 dairies with 399 cows scored. Rubber-filled mattress dairies were represented by herd totals of 24,847 cows. Sand dairies were represented by herd totals of 11,381 cows. Waterbed dairies were represented by herd totals of 7,594 cows. One pen of early lactation cows to include cows in lactation 2 and greater was scored for hock lesions and hygiene on each dairy. Tarsal (hock) joints were scored for injury at the lateral and medial surface. The tuber calcis (point of hock) was scored at the dorsal, lateral, and medial surface. A score of 1 was hair loss, 2 was moderate, and 3 was severe. Hygiene scores ranged from 1 to 5, with 1 being a clean cow, and 5 being a soiled cow. Differences in lesion percentages between bed types were tested with a one-way analysis of variance by lesion severity and over all lesions. Percentage of cows on rubber-filled mattress dairies with score 1 lesions were 48.69 ± 3.97; on sand dairies 20.33 ± 4.48, and on waterbed dairies 21.83 ± 4.48. Preliminary analysis indicates that cows on sand or waterbeds had fewer (P < 0.0001) score 1 and 2 lesions and fewer (P < 0.001) score 3 lesions than those kept on rubber-filled mattresses. The most common lesion site on rubber-filled mattress cows was lateral tarsal (43%), and 21% of cows had two or more lesion sites. The lateral tuber calcis was the most common lesion site on both sand (8%), and waterbed (19%) cows. Eight percent of cows kept on waterbeds and 4% of cows on sand had more than one lesion site. Cows on compost pack had no lesions with the exception of cows purchased with injury. No significant difference was found for hygiene by bed type or times per day barns were cleaned.
- Subjects
LACTATION in cattle; COWS; FEMININE hygiene products; ONE-way analysis of variance; DRY matter in animal nutrition; HYGIENE
- Publication
Journal of Animal Science, 2006, Vol 84, p411
- ISSN
0021-8812
- Publication type
Article