Table 5.
Impacts of compost bedded pack barn, bedded pack barn and freestalls on cow welfare.
| Item | Severity and Body Region | Treatment 1 | SEM 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CBP | BP | FS | |||
| No. of cows assessed | 256 | 250 | 251 | NA | |
| Body condition | Very lean, % | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 1.68 |
| Very fat, % | 19.0 | 12.7 | 8.4 | 5.27 | |
| Dirtiness | Lower hind leg, % | 99.5 | 99.8 | 99.2 | 1.26 |
| Hindquarter, % | 40.5 b | 53.2 a | 30.9 c | 3.37 | |
| Udder, % | 41.3 a | 44.2 a | 30.0 b | 2.86 | |
| Teats, % | 53.5 | 61.0 | 34.6 | 10.80 | |
| Integument alterations | Moderate (neck/shoulder/back), % | 7.7 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 2.26 |
| Severe (neck/shoulder/back), % | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.96 | |
| Moderate (hindquarters), % | 22.5 a,b | 18.2 b | 25.3 a | 3.21 | |
| Severe (hindquarters), % | 5.0 a,b | 2.6 b | 13.1 a | 4.15 | |
| Moderate (tarsus), % | 2.0 c | 8.4 b | 62.0 a | 7.47 | |
| Severe (tarsus), % | 5.8 | 1.8 | 3.7 | 4.40 | |
| Moderate (flank/side/udder), % | 7.3 | 6.7 | 8.5 | 4.38 | |
| Severe (flank/side/udder), % | 2.6 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 2.52 | |
| Moderate (carpus), % | 0.3 | 2.0 | 2.9 | 3.04 | |
| Severe (carpus), % | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.78 | |
| Moderate (all body regions), % | 34.4 b | 37.1 b | 72.3 a | 5.84 | |
| Severe (all body regions), % | 16.4 b | 16.0 b | 54.3 a | 15.01 | |
| Hoof health and lameness | Inflamed coronary band, % | 15.1 a | 8.0 a,b | 0.6 b | 6.53 |
| Hooves overgrown, % | 19.1 | 16.0 | 15.2 | 3.91 | |
| Moderately lame, % | 13.2 | 8.4 | 15.4 | 5.12 | |
| Severely lame, % | 4.2 a | 3.4 a | 0.7 b | 2.51 | |
1 CBP: compost bedded pack barn; BP: bedded pack barn; FS: freestalls. 2 SEM: standard error of the mean; NA: not applicable. a–c Least square means within a row with different superscripts differ (p < 0.05).