Hock lesion and hygiene score by stall bed type in commercial U'S' dairy cows

1
Hock lesion and hygiene score by stall bed
type in commercial U.S. dairy cows

• W Fulwider, T Grandin, D Lamm, N Dalsted, D
  Garrick, B Rollin
• Department of Animal Sciences
• Colorado State University

2
Hygiene and leg condition

• Determine
• Lesion incidence
• Severity
• Hygiene level
• Bed types
• Compost pack
• Rubber-filled mattress
• Sand stall
• Waterbed

3
Cows analyzed

• 112 Dairies
• 90,162 Cows
• 46 WI
• 37 MN
• 15 NY
• 9 IA
• 5 IN

4
Compost pack
5
Rubber-filled mattress
6
Sand stall
7
Waterbed
8
Statistics

• Differences in hygiene and lesion percentages
  between bed types
• a one-way analysis of variance by hygiene level
  / lesion severity
• and overall

9
Hygiene scores
University of MN Extension Minnesota Dairy
Initiatives Dairy Diagnostics Toolbox Cow
Cleanliness Scorecard
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Hock scores
Hock Lesions and Free-stall Design D.M. Weary and
I. Taszkun1 2000 J Dairy Sci 83697-702
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Score 1 Score 2
Hair loss
Swelling
12
Score 3
Severe
13
Hygiene score 2, 3, and 4
a
a
Percent of cows
b
a
b
b
b
a
b
ab P lt.0001
Hygiene score
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Percent of cows with lesions
a
Percent of cows
b
b
a
b
b
a
b
b

ab P lt.0001 ab P lt.0005
15
a
a
a
b
b
b
P lt0.01
16
a
b
a
b
a
b
P lt 0.03
17
a
b
a
b
b
a
18
a
b
P lt.0001
19
a
b
P lt.0001
20
Hygiene study take-home

• Cows on rubber-filled mattresses or waterbeds
• better hygiene than sand cows
• Sand stall cows
• more manure spatter on legs

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Hock study take-home

• Cows on mattresses
• more lesions
• more severe lesions
• Cows on sand and waterbeds
• no difference for hock lesions
• Cows on compost pack
• no lesions

2 of cows on mattresses
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Thank you!

• Dr. Grandin
• Dean Throndsen