Page 326 - The Welfare of Cattle

daIrY CoW WeLfare and herd turnoVer rates 303

portion of a dairy’s cash flow. In the US about 20% of the beef consumed by humans comes from
dairy breeds.
Producers recognize that premature removal of a cow from the herd is an economic liability
and it has an emotional impact on most owners and employees. Retaining an animal in the milking
herd when she is no longer delivering income over expenses also impacts owners and employees.
Turnover is a normal part of dairying, and while very high turnover rates for health reasons may
represent a management problem, so, too, do very low turnover.

SUMMarY

The studies presented in this chapter show dairy cattle welfare: In relation to herd size

• Had no association between herd size and production per cow
• Larger herds had better reproductive performance than smaller herds
• Mastitis prevalence was similar across all herd sizes
• Removals for injuries were higher in small herds and lower in large herds
• Live removals for feet and leg reasons were higher in larger herds
• There was no association found between herd size and survival by parity
• On-farm death rates increases slightly as herd size increases

With respect to production per cow

• Feet and leg problems were not associated with higher production
• The lowest risk of removal was associated with cows producing more milk

Other reported associations

• Feet and leg problems are a serious welfare issue especially for animals on concrete. Footbaths and
regular trimming help but more work needs to be done on flooring to address this issue
• Removals for feet and leg problems were twice as high in open vs. pregnant animals suggesting a
more complex issue exists than just lameness
• The lowest risks of removal were for pregnant cows
• Cows in and beyond lactation 5 are at a higher risk of on-farm death

FINaL thOUGhtS

As the concern about the welfare of dairy cattle grows, becomes more emotional, and more
value laden, we all need to wrestle with how we foster production systems that meet the cow’s needs
while also meeting the economic realities of the marketplace. To lower a cow’s risk of removal in
today’s dairy she must outperform the average cow in the herd throughout her life. Does maintain-
ing the cow’s health, safety and nutritional support allowing her to “win” that competition translate
to good welfare? If not, what does?
Longevity is a central theme expressed by those concerned with dairy cow welfare. Cows would
remain in the dairy herd longer if milk prices were higher in relation to operational costs, and if the
slaughter market remained higher for older animals. Without those two changes economic survival
of the dairy enterprise necessitates higher turnover rates and shorter longevity.
For a long time the emphasis on sire selection was skewed toward milk yield and component
traits. Thankfully, sire selection now includes more robust and balanced criteria taking into account
conformation and other longevity traits as important goals of a desirable breeding program. With
changes in record keeping it’s possible we’ll understand more about why cattle leave the herd early