Description and factors of variation of the overall health score in French dairy cattle herds using the Welfare Quality® assessment protocol

The overall health scores of the farms in the sample were classified as moderate for the vast majority of farms (95.4%) (mainly due to subclinical mastitis, dystocia and pain induced by disbudding/dehorning) and varied little between farms. Some livestock systems were associated with a higher overall health score: straw yards and milking parlors (P < 0.0001), highland vs. lowland locations (P = 0.013), Montbeliarde rather than Holstein breeds (P = 0.006). Some management practices also were associated with a higher level of health: medium herd average parity (P = 0.03), low proportion of dirty cows (P = 0.002) and low proportion of cows with abnormal body condition (P = 0.04). These results suggest that some systems contribute to better health and that improvement of health can be obtained in the short term by the modification of routine management practices.