{"id":5603,"date":"2015-05-19T11:57:08","date_gmt":"2015-05-19T10:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmhealthonline.com\/?page_id=5603"},"modified":"2016-04-27T15:51:10","modified_gmt":"2016-04-27T14:51:10","slug":"welfare-assessment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.farmhealthonline.com\/US\/health-welfare\/cattle\/welfare-assessment\/","title":{"rendered":"Cattle Welfare Assessment"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cattle Welfare Assessment<\/h4>\n

\"IMG_2117\"<\/a>Awareness, promotion and achieving high standards of animal welfare should always be a key priority within sustainable livestock practices. Gaining an understanding of an animal\u2019s behavioral and physiological needs are cornerstones that enable us to develop systems of production that promote positive welfare. But how do we go about measuring welfare so that we can understand the strengths and weaknesses of a system and to continuously improve? Visit our Welfare Assessment<\/a> page in the Veterinary Questions section for more information on the principles of assessment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So How Do We Measure Cow Welfare?<\/h3>\n

The measures listed below have been identified by AssureWel<\/a> as being important indicators of dairy cow welfare. The criteria to select these ‘core’ measures include consideration as to how practical they are to assess on-farm.<\/p>\n

Lameness and Mobility<\/h3>\n
\"Click<\/a>

Click on the image to download the Dairy Co mobility score sheet<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Lameness is known to be a huge welfare issue that significantly affects the welfare of the cow (Whay et al<\/em>., 2003<\/a>) and can have major financial implications. Although cows\u2019 milk production starts to decline even before their mobility is visibly impaired (Reader et al.<\/em>, 2011<\/a>), early detection and prompt treatment significantly reduce yield losses (Archer et al<\/em>., 2010a<\/a>). Levels and severity of lameness should be regularly assessed using mobility scoring<\/a>. Mobility scoring refers to a structured subjective system for the assessment of a cow\u2019s gait, designed to reduce variations between observers (Archer et al.<\/em>, 2010b<\/a>). More information on Lameness<\/a> and the DairyCo Mobility Score<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Nutrition and Body Condition<\/h3>\n

Body condition<\/a> varies considerably during a cow\u2019s lactation. Body condition scoring (BCS) is an important farm management tool, helping to monitor the energy reserve of a cow and aiding management decisions throughout the lactation. Scoring involves an assessment of the relative amount of fat cover at regular intervals and an evaluation of whether this falls within acceptable levels according to stage of lactation and breeding. The scale used to measure BCS differs between countries, but low values always reflect emaciation and high values equate to obesity (Roche et al<\/em>., 2009<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The University of Nebraska has developed a mobile phone application for condition scoring of beef cattle.