Dataset Information

Developing an Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Cows in Extensive Beef Cow-Calf Systems in New Zealand. Part 1: Assessing the Feasibility of Identified Animal Welfare Assessment Measures.

ABSTRACT: Potential measures suitable for assessing welfare in pasture-based beef cow-calf systems in New Zealand were identified from Welfare Quality and UC Davis Cow-Calf protocols. These were trialled on a single farm and a potential protocol of 50 measures created. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the measures included in this protocol on multiple farms in order, to develop a credible animal welfare assessment protocol for pasture-based cow-calf farms systems in New Zealand. The assessment protocol was trialled on 25 farms over two visits and took a total of 2.5 h over both visits for a 100-cow herd. The first visit in autumn included an animal welfare assessment of 3366 cows during pregnancy scanning, while the second visit in winter included a questionnaire-guided interview to assess cattle management and health, and a farm resource evaluation. Through a process of eliminating unsuitable measures, adjustments of modifiable measures and retaining feasible measures, a protocol with 32 measures was created. The application of the protocol on the farms showed that not all measures are feasible for on-farm assessment, and categorisation of identified animal welfare measures into scores that indicate a threshold of acceptable and non-acceptable welfare standards is necessary.

SUBMITTER: Kaurivi YB

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7552259 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Developing an Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Cows in Extensive Beef Cow-Calf Systems in New Zealand. Part 1: Assessing the Feasibility of Identified Animal Welfare Assessment Measures.

Kaurivi Y Baby YB Laven Richard R Hickson Rebecca R Parkinson Tim T Stafford Kevin K

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI 20200908 9

Potential measures suitable for assessing welfare in pasture-based beef cow-calf systems in New Zealand were identified from Welfare Quality and UC Davis Cow-Calf protocols. These were trialled on a single farm and a potential protocol of 50 measures created. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of the measures included in this protocol on multiple farms in order, to develop a credible animal welfare assessment protocol for pasture-based cow-calf farms systems in New Zealand. The ...[more]

PMID: 32911817

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Project description:A stochastic, individual animal systems simulation model describing U.S. beef cow-calf production was developed and parameterized to match typical U.S. Angus genetics under cow-calf production conditions in the Kansas Flint Hills. Model simulation results were compared to available actual, multivariate U.S. cow-calf production data reported according to beef cow-calf standardized performance analysis (SPA) methodology through North Dakota State University's CHAPS program to assess model validity. Individual animal nutrition, reproduction, growth, and health characteristics, as well as production state are determined on a daily time step. Any number of days can be simulated. These capabilities allow for decision analysis and assessment of long-run outcomes of various genetic, management, and economic scenarios regarding multiple metrics simultaneously. Parameterizing the model to match Kansas Flint Hills production conditions for the years 1995 through 2018, 32 different genetic combinations for mature cow weight and peak lactation potential were simulated with 100 iterations each. Sire mature cow weight genetics ranged from 454 to 771 kg in 45 to 46 kg increments. Sire peak lactation genetics were considered at 6.8, 9, 11.3, and 13.6 kg/d for all eight mature cow weights. Utilizing model results for the years 2000 to 2018, raw model results were assessed against actual historical cow-calf production data. Exploratory factor analysis was applied to interpret the underlying factor scores of model output relative to actual cow-calf production data. Comparing modeled herd output with CHAPS herd data, median average calf weaning age, average cow age, percent pregnant per cow exposed, and percent calf mortality per calf born of model output was 3.4 d greater, 0.2 yr greater, 1 percentage point less, and 1.7 percentage points greater, respectively. Subtracting the median CHAPS pre-weaning average daily gain from the median modeled pre-weaning average daily gain for each of the eight respective mature cow weight genetics categories, and then calculating the median of the eight values, the median difference was -0.21 kg/d. Performing the same calculation for birth weight and adjusted 205 d weaning weight, the modeled data was 4.9 and 48.6 kg lighter than the CHAPS data, respectively. Management and genetic details underlying the CHAPS data were unknown.

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Dataset Information

Developing an Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Cows in Extensive Beef Cow-Calf Systems in New Zealand. Part 1: Assessing the Feasibility of Identified Animal Welfare Assessment Measures.

Publications

Developing an Animal Welfare Assessment Protocol for Cows in Extensive Beef Cow-Calf Systems in New Zealand. Part 1: Assessing the Feasibility of Identified Animal Welfare Assessment Measures.

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