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    Heat load-induced changes in lying behavior and lying cubicle occupancy of lactating dairy cows in a naturally ventilated barn (2021)

    Art
    Zeitschriftenartikel / wissenschaftlicher Beitrag
    Autoren
    Heinicke, Julia
    Ott, Aline
    Ammon, Christian
    Amon, Thomas (WE 10)
    Quelle
    Annals of Animal Science
    Bandzählung: 21
    Heftzählung: 4
    Seiten: 1543 – 1553
    ISSN: 2300-8733
    Sprache
    Englisch
    Verweise
    URL (Volltext): https://www.sciendo.com/article/10.2478/aoas-2020-0113
    DOI: 10.2478/aoas-2020-0113
    Kontakt
    Institut für Tier- und Umwelthygiene

    Robert-von-Ostertag-Str. 7-13
    14169 Berlin
    +49 30 838 51845
    tierhygiene@vetmed.fu-berlin.de

    Abstract / Zusammenfassung

    Dairy cows show a high sensitivity to changes in barn climate, which can result in physiological and ethological responses because of the homeostatic mechanisms to regulate the body temperature under heat load. The objective of this study was to analyze the lying behavior and occupancy of lying cubicles of lactating high-yielding Holstein-Friesian cows throughout the day during three summer months and three winter months. The study was conducted in summer 2016 and in winter 2016/17 in a naturally ventilated barn in Brandenburg, Germany. The determined temperaturehumidity index (THI) of the barn was calculated using the measured ambient temperature and relative humidity at eight locations inside the barn. The THI was used to define the heat load the cows were exposed to. The activity of the cows was measured with accelerometers, and a video recording was made to analyze the occupancy of the three rows of lying cubicles. The results indicated that increasing heat load led to a decrease in lying time; therefore, the daily lying time differed between summer and winter months. In addition, there were different patterns of lying behavior during the course of the day, depending on the season. A sharp decline in lying time could be observed especially in the afternoon hours during the summer. The occupancy of lying cubicles was also influenced by the heat load. The data could be helpful to enable evaluation with algorithms for early detection of heat load.