Krzysztof Adamczyk

Perception of environment in farm animals - a review.

Abstract Perception of the environment by farm animals is fundamental for expression of behaviour and of their adaptation to different environmental conditions. From a breeding-environmental perspective, perception becomes increasingly important when a production system negatively impacts on animals such that their normal expression of behaviour is compromised. Therefore, research on the perceptual abilities of farm animals is of crucial importance to understand the animalenvironment relationship. This review is focused on research related to sensory perception of farm animals. It should be stressed that the world of animal senses is very difficult to explore, we have limited knowledge of the complexity of the animal’s ability to perceive and process environmental stimuli.

Associations between strain, herd size, age at first calving, culling reason and lifetime performance characteristics in Holstein-Friesian cows.

Cow longevity and lifetime performance traits are good indicators of breeding effectiveness and animal welfare. They are also interrelated with the economics of dairy herd. Unfortunately, a high milk yield is often associated with deteriorated cow health and fertility and, consequently, with an increased culling rate. This situation, observed also in the Polish population of Holstein-Friesian cattle, inspired us to undertake a study on the associations between some factors and lifetime performance characteristics. The data set consisted of the records on 135 496 cows, including 131 526 of the Black and White strain (BW), and 3970 of the Red and White strain (RW) covered by performance recording and culled in 2012. It was found that cows of the BW strain and those from the largest herds (>100 cows) reached higher lifetime and mean daily energy-corrected milk (ECM) yields than cows of the RW strain and those from smaller herds culled at a similar age. Cows youngest at first calving (<2.0 years) were characterised by the highest lifetime ECM yield. It indicates that heifers can be bred even when they are younger than 15 to 16 months with no significant negative effect on their later performance. Infertility and reproduction problems (39.6%) and udder diseases (15.5%) constituted the most frequent reasons for cow culling. Cow longevity and lifetime productivity were considerably affected by the interactions between the studied factors.

Recognition of culling reasons in Polish dairy cows using data mining methods

Data mining methods were used to recognize culling reasons in dairy cows.It is impossible to accurately recognize culling reasons using routinely recorded data.More specific data are required to improve the recognition ability of the models. Cow longevity and reasons for culling are one of the most important research problems in the contemporary cattle breeding. Therefore, the analysis of the relationship between cow performance and involuntary disposal contributes to taking more informed decisions in herd management. The aim of the present study was to compare the efficiency of artificial neural networks (ANN) and boosted classification trees (BT) with that of linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and classification functions (CF) in recognizing culling reasons of dairy cows in Poland, based on the lifetime performance data, routinely monitored in a herd. The analyses carried out in the present study showed that the accurate recognition of different culling reasons based on predictors included in the above-mentioned models is, in general, impossible. Only BT had limited discrimination abilities, but the results obtained using this method were not much improved compared with ANN and LDA with CF. In order to predict precisely various culling reasons, more specific data are required. They could be obtained from the increasingly popular, technologically advanced, systems of real-time monitoring of animal health status (physical activity, rumination rate, etc.), dependent also on environmental conditions (e.g. temperature-humidity index).

Effect of behaviour of Holstein-Friesian and Simmental bulls on semen quality

The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the behaviour of Holstein-Friesian and Simmental bulls and the quality of their semen. A total of 76 breeding bulls of the Holstein-Friesian and dual-purpose Simmental breeds were investigated. Analysis was made of the response of bulls to humans and other bulls, facial hair whorl position and length, scrotal circumference, and semen characteristics (mean ejaculate volume, mean sperm concentration, and sperm wave motion). The age and breed of the bulls had a statistically significant effect on semen quality, scrotal circumference and the animal’s response to an unfamiliar human (P<0.05; P<0.01). The coefficients of correlation between the bull’s response to a handler and to other bulls averaged 0.73. In general, only weak correlations were found between behavioural traits of the bulls and quality of their semen. It is worth noting a good correlation (r=0.50; P<0.05) between hair whorl position and sperm concentration in Simmental bulls.

The application of cluster analysis methods in assessment of daily physical activity of dairy cows milked in the Voluntary Milking System

Abstract A great individual variability of dairy cows and the diversity of conditions of their maintenance make it difficult to unequivocally interpret the animals’ behaviour and, consequently, to assess their welfare objectively. Thus, technical support to cattle breeders seems increasingly important in this respect at the stage of data collection, the analysis of data and assessment of rearing conditions. Therefore, the aim of the project was to examine the possibility of using cluster analysis to assess physical activity of dairy cows milked in the Voluntary Milking System while taking into account environmental conditions. The research included ten Holstein-Friesian cows in June, September, and December of 2015. The data concerning the cows’ physical activity were classified with Ward’s method and the Kohonen’s networks. In general, during individual months, the distribution of cows’ average daily physical activity was similar and its variability small. Nevertheless, over the individual months, the following three groups for this feature were distinguished with the use of the cluster analysis: night-morning, morning before noon, and afternoon-evening. At the same time, it was observed that, in at least a few cases, the division could be associated with such environmental conditions as daytime light length changes, temperature, or relative humidity of the air. Therefore, in our opinion, cluster analysis can be helpful in classifying dairy cows physical activity, thus contribute to an objective assessment of behavioural indicators of their welfare.

Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Temperature, Relative Humidity and Air Velocity in a Parallel Milking Parlour During Summer Period

Abstract The research aimed at determining the most significant parameters affecting the microclimate of milking parlours, such as temperature, relative humidity and air movement in a parallel milking parlour in real operating conditions. The research was conducted in the summer period, when the risk of heat stress in cattle is higher. To check welfare of cows during milking, days with air temperature >25°C and days with temperature equal or lower than 25°C were analysed. Observation and analysis were performed for air flow in milking parlour, range of supplied air stream and how air movement affects cattle. It was observed that the irregular distribution of air movement led to the development of diverse air velocity in different zones of the milking parlour (0.2-9.0 m∙s-1). As a consequence, the conditions inside the barn were not homogenous for all the cattle. A significant effect of the cows and external air temperature (which depends indirectly on orientation of the milking parlour relative to cardinal directions) on temperature increase (approx 6°C) was concluded, with relative air humidity at the level of 85-90%, during the milking, which led to systematic decrease of microclimatic comfort for cattle. Based on the conducted research, it was concluded that the design of ventilation systems in parallel milking parlours should be preceded by increased research not only on ventilation system efficiency but also on the distribution of flow ventilated air.

Analysis of lifetime performance and culling reasons in Black-and-White Holstein-Friesian cows compared with crossbreds

Abstract The effect of crossbreeding Holstein-Friesian cows with other breeds is usually improved genetic potential of crossbreds in terms of longevity. However, culling decisions, which in practice determine the longevity in dairy cows, are contingent on many environmental and economic factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate longevity in relation to culling reasons in Holstein-Friesian cows of the Black-and-White strain (HO) and crossbreds, taking genotype, age at first calving, herd size, culling season, culling reason and milking temperament into consideration. The data analysed concerned 154,256 dairy cows culled in Poland in 2015. It was found that all studied factors significantly affected cow lifetime performance. The mean age at culling in dairy cows of HO strain exceeded 6 years, with mean lifetime energy-corrected milk (LECM) yield of 28,933 kg and mean lifetime energy-corrected milk yield per milking day (DECM) of 20.2 kg. Crossbreds, on the other hand, tended to have shorter lifespans, with mean LECM yield amounting to less than 25,000 kg. Mean LECM yield of cows surviving for the longest period (9.2 years), amounted to 47,771 kg, and reproduction problems were unquestionably the most common (40%) reason for cows’ culling. A suggestion was made to take milking temperament into account in breeding practice, as this trait proves to be closely related to the longevity characteristics of dairy cows. It was also proposed that the culling reasons be subjected to a more comprehensive analysis, considering the “life history” of cows as well as the interactions between different reasons for their removal from the herd.

Dairy cattle welfare as a result of human-animal relationship – a review

Abstract Despite the various concepts of human-animal relationship, the welfarist approach to this problem is one of the most often considered in theory and used in practice. When dealing with issues related to dairy cattle welfare (DCW), it is necessary to take into account both the reality characteristic for animals used to obtain milk (e.g. the problem of automatic milking of cows) and for slaughter cattle (e.g. slaughter of culled animals). It is not surprising, therefore, that issues related to DCW are the focus of the attention of the public, researchers, breeders as well as the dairy and meat industries. The aim of this article was to possibly most comprehensively cover the above-mentioned issues, although due to its huge scope it was obviously necessary to limit the article to what I think are currently most important issues. That is why in the review I (1) characterized the issues related to the division of human responsibility for DCW; (2) discussed the importance of technology to human-animal relationship; (3) elaborated the matter of stress, emotionality of animals and their cognitive abilities in the aspect of “negative” and “positive” DCW; (4) considered the possibilities of non-invasive assessment of animal welfare in the future and (5) discussed topics related to improving the conditions of the slaughter of animals. In summary, it was proposed paying more attention than has been paid until now, to the assessment of positive DCW in scientific research and breeding practice. I also drew attention to the necessity of reliable information flow on the line of the breeder/milk producer - industry - consumer, as negligence in this area is one of the reasons for public disinformation regarding the level of animal welfare.