Jou nal o Dai y Resea ch
camb idge.o g/da
Resea ch A icle
Ci e his a icle: Ve des S, Yáñez U, T illo Y,
He adón PG, Peña AI, Bece a JJ and Quin ela
LA (2022). Housing assessmen in a ms in he
No hwes o Spain: main acili y weaknesses
and s eng hs. Jou nal o Dai y Resea ch 89,
152–155. h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/
S0022029922000309
Recei ed: 15 Sep embe 2021
Re ised: 4 Feb ua y 2022
Accep ed: 7 Feb ua y 2022
Fi s published online: 7 Ap il 2022
Keywo ds:
Animal wel a e; cow com o ; dai y ca le; he d
pe o mance; in as uc u e
Au ho o co espondence:
Luis A. Quin ela,
Email: luisangel.quin [email protected]
© The Au ho (s), 2022. Published by
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Housing assessmen in a ms in he No hwes
o Spain: main acili y weaknesses
and s eng hs
Sonia Ve des, Uxía Yáñez, Yolanda T illo, Ped o G. He adón, Ana I. Peña,
Juan J. Bece a and Luis A. Quin ela
Uni o Rep oduc ion and Obs e ics, Dep . o Animal Pa hology, Facul y o Ve e ina y Medicine, Uni e sidade de
San iago de Compos ela, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Abs ac
The aim o his esea ch communica ion was o examine and epo he cu en si ua ion o dai y
a ms in he p o ince o Lugo (Galicia, Spain) ega ding acili y p oblems. We assessed he acil-
i ies o 168 ee-s all dai y a ms, housing in o al 9228 Hols ein cows in milk. Housing ac o s
ela ed o he es ing a ea, ci cula ion a ea, eeding a ea, en ila ion a ea and milking a ea, as well
as animal-handling ea u es, we e e alua ed. Dis ance measu emen s we e pe o med using a
lase me e o a oll me ic ape. A su ey was conduc ed o ga he in o ma ion abou cleaning
and p e en i e p o ocols. Ou esul s showed ha mos a ms do no comply wi h he objec i e
o cubicle measu emen s, wid h o he c osso e s, ype o loo ing and p esence o a qua an ine
pen, which may ha e a nega i e impac on he heal h and p oduc i i y o he animals. The e o e,
o maximise he p o i s o he a m, he ecommenda ions gi en in his s udy may be use ul as a
guide when building a new a m o emodelling he exis ing ones.
Dai y ca le wel a e has become an impo an issue, as i is di ec ly co ela ed wi h he p oduc-
ion o he cows and, consequen ly, wi h he p o i abili y o he a ms (Ve des e al., 2020).
Due o he cu en si ua ion o high p oduc ion cos s and low p ice pe li e o milk, animal
wel a e may make he di e ence be ween making p o i s o no . I a cow does no achie e an
adequa e s a e o wel a e, i will no de elop i s ull p oduc i e po en ial.
In he li e a u e, nume ous e e ences can be ound ega ding how di e en aspec s o dai y
a m acili ies and hei use in luence he heal h, longe i y, ep oduc i e pe o mance, and
p oduc ion o he animals (Molina e al., 2019; Ve des e al.,2020; Buguei o e al.,2021).
The e o e, i we wan o imp o e animal wel a e in ou a ms, one impo an issue o conside
is he way ou acili ies a e buil and how he he d is handled.
Al hough i migh be expec ed ha old acili ies do no comply wi h he needed s anda ds
o achie e p ope animal wel a e, i is su p ising o see how many ecen ly buil a ms do no
do so ei he . In his con ex , being awa e o he main housing mis akes wi hin a ce ain egion
may be an impo an ad an age when designing and building new a ms o emodelling he
al eady exis ing ones.
Gi en his ci cums ance, he aim o his esea ch was o examine and epo he cu en
si ua ion o dai y a ms in he p o ince o Lugo (Galicia, Spain) ega ding acili y weaknesses
and s eng hs, so his s udy may be use ul as a guide o ec i y o a oid mis akes in o de o
achie e p ope animal wel a e and, consequen ly, imp o e he pe o mance o he he d.
Ma e ials and me hods
Fa ms
F om Janua y o Decembe 2015, he d wel a e was e alua ed in 168 dai y a ms loca ed in he
No hwes o Spain (p o ince o Lugo, Galicia). This p o ince has he la ges popula ion cen-
sus o dai y ca le in Spain. Ou o he 844000 dai y cows ha we e egis e ed in he census in
2015 in Spain, 360000 (43%) we e om Galicia, and 161000 (19%) we e om he p o ince o
Lugo. Addi ionally, ou o he 6799 housand ons o milk p oduced du ing ha yea in Spain,
2722 (40%) we e p oduced in Galicia (MAPA, 2015a,2015b).
Fa ms we e selec ed wi hin he collabo a o e e ina ians’clien lis . These e e ina ians
we e esponsible o he ep oduc i e con ol on dai y a ms in he egion. We aimed o
in ol e as many a ms as possible wi hin he a eas whe e he densi y o a ms was highe .
Only ee-s all a ms we e included. Al hough he e s ill a e ie-s all a ms, hese a e usually
old, and he endency is o hem o disappea . All animals included in his s udy we e
Hols ein b eed. The o al numbe o cows in milk was 9228, wi h a mean numbe o cows
in milk pe a m o 55 (10–240).
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0022029922000309 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
Da a collec ed
All a ms we e isi ed once by he same e alua o , and all da a
we e collec ed always ollowing he same o de (see online
Supplemen a y Table 1). The acili y-based ac o s ega ding es -
ing a ea, ci cula ion a ea, eeding a ea, en ila ion a ea and milk-
ing a ea, as well as animal-handling ea u es, we e e alua ed as
p e iously desc ibed by Jua is i e al.(2004) and Ve des e al.
(2020) (see online Supplemen a y Table 2). Dis ance measu e-
men s we e pe o med using a lase me e o a oll me ic ape.
A su ey was conduc ed o ga he in o ma ion abou he milking,
he he d, he equency o cleaning and he pe o mance o hoo
imming.
S a is ical analysis
To analyse he da a, ac o s ha complied wi h he wel a e objec -
i e we e sco ed 0 and hose ha did no comply we e sco ed
1. The pe cen age o a ms ha complied wi h he objec i e was
calcula ed o each ac o . Then, ac o s we e o de ed acco ding
o his pe cen age, and qua iles we e calcula ed. Those ac o s
included be ween 0% and 25% (1s qua ile) we e classi ied as
he main weaknesses, whe eas hose included be ween 75% and
100% (4 h qua ile) we e cha ac e ised as he main s eng hs o
he a ms in he egion o s udy. All da a we e analysed using
SPSS e sion 20.0 o Windows (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL, USA).
Resul s
Fac o s included in he 1s and 4 h qua ile a e shown in Table 1.
The ac o s wi h he leas pe cen age o a ms ha comply wi h
he objec i e we e cubicle measu emen s, including o al leng h
(5.7%), b iske b oad dis ance om cu b (24.9%), neck ail dis-
ance om cu b (5.7%), and cu b heigh (15.5%); he wid h o
he c osso e s (16.6%) and he placing o ubbe loo ing
(4.1%). Also included in his weakness ca ego y we e he s ipped
su ace o placing o ubbe loo ing o e he wai ing a ea o he
milking pa lou (7.9%), and he p esence o a qua an ine pen
(13.5%).
On he con a y, among he main s eng hs we ound: he bed-
ding, ocusing on d y bedding (76.6%), le el bed su ace (80.3%)
and he equency o bedding main enance ≥2 imes pe day
(80.8%); he alley main enance, ega ding slippe y loo (76.6%),
accumula ion o manu e in he alley (87.6%), and p esence o
slu y pi unde he ba n (89.1%); he animal handling, e e ing
o cow c owding (77.2%), oo ba hs (80.3%), s ess o a sca ce
commodi y (82.9%), p esence o cows wi h ail (87.6%), ligh
zone (89.6%), and p esence o bi ing lies (95.3%). Also in his
s eng h ca ego y we e se e al ac o s ela ed o he eeding a ea,
including wid h o headlocks (82.9%), wa e analysis (86%),
cleaning eeding ence (98.4%), con inuous eeding a ailabili y
(99%) and co e ed eeding able (99%), as well as he main enance
o an accu a e en i onmen , conce ning spide webs (80.8%), la -
e al opening (81.3%), sidewall heigh (82.4%), heigh o idge
(86%), condensa ion (87.6%), ai mo emen on he ace o he
cow (89.6%) and excessi e humidi y (93.8%).
Discussion
O e all, he esul s o his s udy showed ha , al hough mos a ms
in Lugo p o ince ha e an accu a e pe o mance ega ding he
main enance o acili ies and animal handling, he e s ill a e
se e al aspec s o imp o e conce ning housing measu emen s
and ma e ials, e en in ecen ly buil a ms.
Among he main weaknesses obse ed, i should be no ed ha
cubicles we e small, which can a ec he es ing ime o he
Table 1. P opo ions o he main housing weaknesses and s eng hs (exp essed
as pe cen ages) obse ed in a ms in he No hwes o Spain
Va iable % o a ms ha comply
Main weaknesses
Rubbe loo
a
4.1
To al s all leng h
b
5.7
Neck ail dis ance om cu b
b
5.7
S ipped/ ubbe loo ing o e wai ing a ea
c
7.9
Ceiling insula ion
d
10.4
Qua an ine pen
b
13.5
Cu b heigh
b
15.5
Wid h c osso e s
a
16.6
B iske b oad dis ance om cu b
b
24.9
Main s eng hs
Slippe y loo
a
76.2
D y bedding
b
76.7
Cow c owding
e
77.2
Le el bed su ace
b
80.3
Foo ba hs
e
80.3
Bedding main enance
b
80.8
Spide webs
d
80.8
La e al opening
d
81.3
Sidewall heigh
d
82.4
S ess o a sca ce commodi y
e
82.9
Wid h o headlocks
82.9
Wa e analysis
86
Heigh o idge
d
86
Accumula ion o manu e in he alley
a
87.6
P esence o cows wi h ail
e
87.6
Condensa ion
d
87.6
Slu y pi unde ba n
a
89.1
Fligh zone
e
89.6
Ai mo emen on he ace o he cow
d
89.6
Humidi y
d
93.8
P esence o bi ing lies
e
95.3
Cleaning eeding ence
98.4
Con inuous eed a ailabili y
99
Feeding ence co e ed
99
a
Ci cula ion a ea.
b
Res ing a ea.
c
Milking a ea.
d
Ven ila ion a ea.
e
Cow a ea.
Feeding a ea.
Jou nal o Dai y Resea ch 153
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0022029922000309 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
animals. Consequen ly, cows may lay less equen ly, o may do so
in o he places besides he cubicles, including c osso e s and
alleys (Cook and No dlund, 2004). This has a nega i e impac
on ca le hygiene. The p esence o di o e he udde and hind-
qua e s due o laying ou o he cubicle is a isk ac o ha
a ou s he appea ance o mas i is (de Pinho e al., 2012) and
a ec s hygienic milk p oduc ion and he mo egula ion
(Buguei o e al., 2018). Mo eo e , Molina e al.(2019) epo ed
a co ela ion be ween less clean animals and lowe milk p oduc-
ion. Addi ionally, acco ding o G an (2004), cows need o lie
down o abou 12–14 h a day; du ing his pe iod, no only a e
he d y-ma e in ake and blood low o he mamma y gland
a ou ed, bu i also gi es ime o he hoo es o es (Calama i
e al., 2009). A subs anda d laying pe iod would diminish eed
in ake, milk p oduc ion and would p omo e he occu ence o
lameness and hoo lesions (Tucke e al., 2021).
Mos c osso e s did no allow he simul aneous passage o wo
animals. In his ega d, i is impo an o ema k ha he e is a
dominance ela ionship be ween animals in a he d, and some
agg essi e in e ac ions inc ease when space cons ain s a e imposed
(F egonesi e al., 2007). As a consequence, subo dina e cows may be
bullied and inhibi ed om accessing a ce ain esou ce (such as he
eeding ence, cubicles, o mechanical b ush), acqui ing a submis-
si e o a oidance beha iou , and ge ing hei mo emen s blocked
by dominan cows in hei pa hs (Cook and No dlund, 2004).
Ano he acili y d awback in mos a ms was he absence o
ubbe loo ing o s ipped su ace o e he wai ing a ea o he
milking pa lou and he alleys and c osso e s. The use o ubbe
loo ing has been ex ensi ely documen ed in he li e a u e. In his
ega d, Boyle e al., (2007) sugges ed ha cows p e e o s and on
com o able su aces, bu hey did no ind a bene icial e ec o
ubbe loo ing on ei he hoo heal h o oes us exp ession and
ep oduc i e pe o mance. Howe e , o he esea che s s a ed
ha cows on ubbe loo ing show an ea lie onse o egula oes-
us beha iou , esul ing in an ea lie p egnancy and a sho e
cal ing in e al, bu i has no e ec on milk yield (K eme
e al., 2012). Conce ning hoo heal h, Oehme e al.(2019)
epo ed a educ ion in mechanical load while s anding and walk-
ing on ubbe loo ing in compa ison wi h conc e e, which migh
educe mechanically induced hoo lesions. Mo eo e , Telezhenko
e al.(2017) assessed he slip esis ance o di e en ypes o solid
loo ing in ca le acili ies; hey concluded ha he isk o slipping
is educed when he cow walked on a su ace wi h be e com-
p essibili y, such as ubbe ma s, whe e he claws could sink
deep enough, p o iding signi ican ly be e gai .
In o de o achie e p ope biosecu i y, a ms need a biosecu -
i y plan ha conside s all he isks and includes s a egies o man-
age disease (Da ga z e al., 2002). Among hese s a egies, he
in oduc ion o new animals should be ca e ully conside ed, as
hey migh ca y diseases ei he om he a m o o igin o
acqui ed a he ma ke o du ing ansi (Lau ence, 2014).
Consequen ly, no only a sepa a ion o ime, bu also a physical
sepa a ion is needed o p e en sp ead o pa hogens. The e o e,
a pe iod o qua an ine and a qua an ine pen a e highly ecom-
mended o allow he numbe o pa hogens o decline (Lau ence,
2014). Ne e heless, ew a ms in he p o ince o Lugo ha e a
qua an ine pen, which may nega i ely in luence he wel a e o
he cows al eady in he he d ega ding hei heal h s a us. I has
been epo ed by Buguei o e al.(2018) ha managemen o dis-
eases is a wa ning aspec o ake in o conside a ion in a ms om
Galicia, encou aging a me s o include new heal h-con ol plans
o p o ide be e p e en ion o pa hologies.
Ou esul s a e di e en om hose ob ained by Molina
e al.(2019), who epo ed ‘excellen ’and ‘enhance’sco es
(acco ding o Wel a e Quali y® p o ocol) ega ding housing
assessmen in a ms in sou he n Spain. This may be explained
by he di e en p o ocols used o e alua e housing ac o s, as
hey did no conside cubicle measu emen s o ype o loo ing.
On he con a y, Be occhi e al.(2018) claimed ha he p es-
ence o cubicles wi h w ong dimensions o design was one o
he main housing haza ds in I alian a ms, as well as he ype
o loo in walking a eas.
In mos a ms, app op ia e main enance o acili ies was
obse ed. Mo e han 75% o he a ms in his s udy kep he
bed su ace d y and le elled, and cleaned he cubicles wi h su i-
cien equency. In addi ion, ood and wa e supply we e p ope
in almos all a ms ega ding wa e analysis, cleaning and co e
o he eeding s o e as well as eed a ailabili y. Mo eo e , an
accu a e en i onmen was no iced in mos a ms as a as in a-
s uc u e, alley main enance, p esence o bi ing lies and loca ion
o he slu y pi a e conce ned. As discussed abo e, hygiene is a
key aspec o success ul he ds, as i a ec s he heal h o he
cows and hei milk yield (de Pinho e al., 2012; Buguei o e al.,
2018; Molina e al., 2019). Fu he mo e, no only a e hei p o-
duc i e capaci y and heal h a ec ed by hygiene, bu also by an
adequa e supply o basic needs such as eeding and d inking
(Buguei o e al., 2021). Finally, i should be no ed ha mos
a ms complied wi h p ope animal handling, including cow
c owding, oo ba hs, s ess, ligh zone, and p esence o cows
wi h a ail. On his subjec , Bo a e al.(2014) claimed ha ce ain
managemen p ac ices such as handling and housing condi ions
may ac as majo s esso s, as hey can se e ely a ec he heal h
and p oduc ion o he cows.
In conclusion, cubicle and c osso e s measu emen s, loo ing
ma e ials and he absence o a qua an ine pen a e he main acili y
weaknesses obse ed in dai y a ms in he p o ince o Lugo. The
design o he acili ies should be ca e ully conside ed, as i is di -
ec ly associa ed wi h he heal h and p oduc i i y o he cows.
The e o e, o maximise bo h hese ac o s and, consequen ly,
he p o i s o he a m, he ecommenda ions gi en in his
s udy may be use ul as a guide when building a new a m o
emodelling he al eady exis ing ones.
Supplemen a y ma e ial. The supplemen a y ma e ial o his a icle can
be ound a h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0022029922000309
Acknowledgemen s. This s udy was pa ially suppo ed by Dipu ación
P o incial de Lugo (Con enio 2015-CP011). Uxía Yáñez Ramil holds a p e-
doc o al con ac (Re . 2020/122) om he Xun a de Galicia. The au ho s
wish o hank he e e ina ians and a me s o hei unin e es ed
collabo a ion.
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Jou nal o Dai y Resea ch 155
h ps://doi.o g/10.1017/S0022029922000309 Published online by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess
