Effects of increased grazing intensity during the early and late grazing periods on the welfare of spring-calving, pasture-based dairy cows

ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to identify potential effects of increased grazing intensity, characterized by differing pasture availability and stocking rate, on indicators of welfare during both early and late grazing periods. Seventy spring-calving, pasture-based Holstein-Friesian and cross-bred dairy cows, averaging 35 ± 16 d in milk on the first day of data collection, were assigned to 3 treatments (20–26 cows/treatment) representing a range in grazing intensity: LO (high pasture availability, 980 kg DM/ha opening cover, 2.75 cows/ha, 90:10% pasture:concentrate diet), MOD (medium pasture availability, 720 kg DM/ha opening cover, 2.75 cows/ha, 90:10% pasture:concentrate diet), and HI (low pasture availability, 570 kg DM/ha opening cover, 3.25 cows/ha, 80:20% pasture:concentrate diet); representative of current, best practice and proposed production levels respectively for this system. Welfare indicators were locomotion score, digital dermatitis and white line disease, rumen fill, ocular and nasal discharge, integument damage to the neck-back and hock regions, and lying time. Data were collected during a 5-wk early grazing period in spring (EG) and a 7-wk late grazing period in autumn (LG). Average daily lying time was recorded for 8 to 10 focal cows per treatment. Results demonstrated only minor treatment effects. Cows on MOD [odds ratio (OR) = 3.11] and HI (OR = 1.95) were more likely to display nasal discharge compared with LO. Cows on MOD tended to have more damage to the skin on the neck-back region than LO (OR = 4.26). Total locomotion score (maximum = 25) was greater on LOW (7.1 ± 0.20) compared with HI (6.5 ± 0.19). Average lame cow prevalence for EG and LG respectively was 15.3 ± 3.12% and 39.2 ± 3.00% (LO), 20.0 ± 2.58% and 24.2 ± 5.69% (MOD), and 14.9 ± 4.79% and 17.0 ± 3.44% (HI). Cows on HI were less likely to have impaired walking speed than either LO (OR = 0.24) or MOD (OR = 0.29). Cows on both HI (OR = 0.36) and MOD (OR = 0.40) were less likely to display impaired abduction or adduction compared with those on LO. An interaction between treatment and period revealed longer lying times for cows on LO (10.6 h/d ± 0.39) compared with both MOD and HI (8.7 ± 0.43 and 8.4 ± 0.41 h/d) during EG only. The greatest effects were across grazing periods, with all indicators except rumen fill and locomotion score demonstrating improvements from EG to LG. This suggests cows were able to cope well with increasing levels of grazing intensity, and that regardless of treatment, a greater number of days on pasture led to improvements in welfare indicators.