Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5793631 | Preventive Veterinary Medicine | 2013 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
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 (PÂ <Â 0.0001), highland vs. lowland locations (PÂ =Â 0.013), Montbeliarde rather than Holstein breeds (PÂ =Â 0.006). Some management practices also were associated with a higher level of health: medium herd average parity (PÂ =Â 0.03), low proportion of dirty cows (PÂ =Â 0.002) and low proportion of cows with abnormal body condition (PÂ =Â 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.
Keywords
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Authors
M. Coignard, R. Guatteo, I. Veissier, A. de Boyer des Roches, L. Mounier, A. Lehébel, N. Bareille,