Table 1.
Herd characteristics for spring-calving, pasture-based farms in southern Ireland, visited for welfare assessment during the grazing (VISIT1) and housing (VISIT2) periods of the 2019–2020 season
| Herd characteristic | No. of farms1 | Mean | SD | Min | Max | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herd size | 82 | 125 | 49.1 | 38 | 253 | 120 |
| Farm size, Ha | 81 | 45 | 19.2 | 14 | 101 | 40 |
| Milk 305 d yield, kg/cow | 72 | 6,706 | 752.2 | 4,013 | 8,251 | 6,769 |
| Fat 305 d yield, kg/cow | 72 | 280 | 31.4 | 187 | 367 | 281 |
| Protein 305 d yield, kg/cow | 72 | 242 | 26.5 | 157 | 291 | 241 |
| Stocking rate | ||||||
| Grazing platform, cows/ha | 82 | 2.97 | 0.94 | 1.2 | 5.7 | 3 |
| Cubicles, cubicles/cow | 81 | 1 | 0.18 | 0.6 | 1.8 | 1 |
| Loose-housing, m2/cow | 13 | 5.6 | 2.97 | 2.2 | 11.5 | 5.3 |
| Grazing Season length (full time, 24 h/d) | 81 | 240 | 27.6 | 170 | 312 | 236 |
| Days on grass at VISIT1 | 82 | 126 | 44.4 | 36 | 213 | 129 |
| Days housed at VISIT2 | 82 | 39 | 25.1 | 02 | 99 | 59 |
1Total of 82 study farms. Data for some characteristics were unavailable for some farms.
2One farm was visited on its first full day of housing.