Table 1.
Characteristics (farm data, performance data and cubicle design) and results of selected indicators of the Welfare Quality® protocol of dairy cattle of 64 dairy farms classified by pasture access (zero-grazing v. pasture access <6 h) and type of cubicle (rubber mats v. deep bedded), respectively
| Farm parameters/welfare indicators | Pasture access | Type of cubicle | Total (n = 64) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pasture access (n = 9) | Zero-grazing (n = 55) | Deep bedded (n = 46) | Rubber mats (n = 18) | ||
| Farm dataa | |||||
| Herd size cows (n) | 127 (61 to 465) | 415 (47 to 1609) | 376 (48 to 1609) | 370 (47 to 1555) | 374 (47 to 1609) |
| Pasture access (h) | 4 (2 to 5) | 0 (0 to 0) | 0 (0 to 5) | 1 (0 to 5) | 1 (0 to 5) |
| Pasture access (days) | 180 (150 to 210) | 0 (0 to 0) | 12 (0 to 180) | 42 (0 to 210) | 20 (0 to 210) |
| Deep-bedded cubicles (%) | 55.6 (n = 5) | 74.6 (n = 41) | 100.0 (n = 46) | 0.0 (n = 0) | 71.9 (n = 46) |
| Rubber mat cubicles (%) | 44.4 (n = 4) | 25.4 (n = 14) | 0.0 (n = 0) | 100.0 (n = 18) | 28.1 (n = 18) |
| Performance datab | |||||
| Milk yield (kg) | 8913 (658) | 10 014 (946) | 10 088 (863) | 9274 (1061) | 9859 (985) |
| Fat content (%) | 4.0 (0.2) | 4.0 (0.2) | 4.0 (0.2) | 4.1 (0.2) | 4.0 (0.2) |
| Protein content (%) | 3.4 (0.1) | 3.4 (0.1) | 3.4 (0.1) | 3.4 (0.1) | 3.4 (0.1) |
| Cubicle designb | |||||
| Cow-to-cubicle ratio (%) | 110.3 (18.2) | 97.9 (13.1) | 100.4 (13.4) | 97.6 (17.1) | 99.6 (14.4) |
| Cubicle length (cm) | 183.6 (8.2) | 190.9 (14.2) | 190.6 (15.2) | 188.1 (8.9) | 189.9 (13.7) |
| Cubicle width (cm) | 111.9 (3.7) | 111.8 (3.4) | 111.9 (3.6) | 111.6 (3.1) | 111.8 (3.4) |
| Length × width (m2) | 2.1 (0.1) | 2.1 (0.2) | 2.1 (0.2) | 2.1 (0.1) | 2.1 (0.2) |
| Neck rail to curb (cm) | 200.2 (15.2) | 200.4 (11.0) | 199.2 (9.4) | 203.4 (15.7) | 200.4 (11.6) |
| Neck rail height (cm) | 113.3 (7.1) | 118.0 (8.8) | 118.1 (8.5) | 115.4 (9.0) | 117.3 (8.7) |
| Divider height (cm) | 58.2 (7.7) | 57.1 (11.9) | 57.2 (12.2) | 57.2 (8.8) | 57.2 (11.3) |
| Welfare indicatorsb | |||||
| Duration of the lying down process (s) | 5.9 (0.6) | 5.9 (0.8) | 5.7 (0.6) | 6.6 (0.7) | 5.9 (0.7) |
| Collisions with cubicles (%) | 11.1 (9.8) | 19.0 (16.4) | 17.0 (14.5) | 20.0 (19.1) | 17.9 (15.8) |
| Cows lying outside cubicles (%) | 3.2 (4.6) | 3.5 (5.7) | 3.6 (5.9) | 2.9 (4.5) | 3.4 (5.5) |
| Cows with dirty legs (%) | 66.5 (28.4) | 53.2 (28.1) | 44.8 (23.9) | 81.3 (21.1) | 55.1 (28.3) |
| Cows with dirty flanks (%) | 65.4 (29.0) | 68.9 (20.5) | 67.2 (19.5) | 71.7 (26.8) | 68.4 (21.7) |
| Cows with dirty udders (%) | 55.1 (27.3) | 43.2 (24.2) | 35.4 (18.3) | 69.2 (22.6) | 44.9 (24.8) |
| Cows with lesions/swellings (%) | 29.0 (19.5) | 27.1 (13.9) | 23.8 (13.5) | 36.5 (13.8) | 27.3 (14.6) |
| Cows with severe lameness (%) | 18.3 (11.4) | 15.3 (10.1) | 14.6 (10.1) | 18.6 (10.2) | 15.7 (10.2) |
| Cows with mastitis incidence (%) | 15.5 (7.5) | 21.0 (7.5) | 20.0 (8.4) | 20.7 (5.5) | 20.2 (7.7) |
a
Median (minimal − maximal).
b
Mean (SD).