Calf or grass – What would the cow choose?

• DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106087
• Publication Date: 2023-10-19T03:51:30Z
• Authors: Malin V. Hellström; Emma M. Ternman; Hanna K. Eriksson
• Keywords: Barn; Cow-calf; Animal-Assisted Therapy; HUBzero

The growing interest for keeping dairy cows with their calves an extended period after calving is putting pressure on the scientific community to investigate effects of cow-calf contact systems animals´ welfare. main aims this study were cows´ motivation accessing over a fresh pasture, and evaluate if decreased increasing calf age. Twenty-two Swedish Red Holstein pairs enrolled at calving. dams housed in robotic barn free access outdoor where kept during pasture season. behaviours recorded three separate test days occurring every two weeks, starting when average 10 weeks old. During days, confined heavily grazed area, while had both area adjacent pasture. Which areas entered first upon returning outdoors from barn, what they performed which registered using 10-min scan sampling 8 h per day. spent more time Test day I (76.8±3.09%; LSMeans±SEM) compared Day II (60.9±3.86%; P=0.006), III (66.8±4.38%) did not differ (P=0.15) or (P=0.55). On II, chose 54±10.05% times returned was significantly often than (18.2±4.96%; P=0.01), no difference found between (37.1±9.86%) (P=0.17) (P=0.5). There effect breed total outdoors, but tended spend (36.4±5.28%) (24.2±3.95%; P=0.09). Upon also (46.0±7.19%) (25.2±6.21%; P=0.05). Primiparous choose (46.9±6.11%) multiparous (24.5±7.25%; P=0.06). Exploratory analyses suggest that affected by ambient weather age calves. results provide some further information about factors influencing maternal reunite However, research needed so can be designed enable good