A higher risk of being lame was found for the presence of claw overgrowth , the first 120 days in milk , larger herd sizes , and increasing parity .
Background Lameness in dairy cows has been an ongoing concern of great relevance to animal welfare and productivity in modern dairy production .
Many studies have examined associations between various factors related to housing , management , and the individual animal and the occurrence of lameness .
The objective of this systematic review was to answer the research question “ what are risk factors associated with lameness in dairy cows that are housed in free stall barns or tie stall facilities ” .
Furthermore , we performed a synthesis of current evidence on certain risk factors by means of a meta- analysis to illustrate the strength of their association with bovine lameness .
Use of Extended Characteristics of Locomotion and Feeding Behavior for Automated Identification of Lame Dairy Cows
This study was carried out to detect differences in locomotion and feeding behavior in lame ( group L ; n = 41 ; gait score ≥ 2.5 ) and non-lame ( group C ; n = 12 ; gait score ≤ 2 ) multiparous Holstein cows in a cross-sectional study design . A model for automatic lameness detection was created , using data from accelerometers attached to the hind limbs and noseb and sensors attached to the head . Each cow ’s gait was videotaped and scored on a 5-point scale before and after a period of 3 consecutive days of behavioral data recording . The mean value of 3 independent experienced observers was taken as a definite gait score and considered to be the gold st and ard . For statistical analysis , data from the noseb and sensor and one of two accelerometers per cow ( r and omly selected ) of 2 out of 3 r and omly selected days was used . For comparison between group L and group C , the T-test , the Aspin-Welch Test and the Wilcoxon Test were used . The sensitivity and specificity for lameness detection was determined with logistic regression and ROC- analysis . Group L compared to group C had significantly lower eating and ruminating time , fewer eating chews , ruminating chews and ruminating boluses , longer lying time and lying bout duration , lower st and ing time , fewer st and ing and walking bouts , fewer , slower and shorter strides and a lower walking speed . The model considering the number of st and ing bouts and walking speed was the best predictor of cows being lame with a sensitivity of 90.2 % and specificity of 91.7 % . Sensitivity and specificity of the lameness detection model were considered to be very high , even without the use of halter data . It was concluded that under the conditions of the study farm , accelerometer data were suitable for accurately distinguishing between lame and non-lame dairy cows , even in cases of slight lameness with a gait score of 2.5
A higher risk of being lame was found for the presence of claw overgrowth , the first 120 days in milk , larger herd sizes , and increasing parity .
Background Lameness in dairy cows has been an ongoing concern of great relevance to animal welfare and productivity in modern dairy production .
Many studies have examined associations between various factors related to housing , management , and the individual animal and the occurrence of lameness .
The objective of this systematic review was to answer the research question “ what are risk factors associated with lameness in dairy cows that are housed in free stall barns or tie stall facilities ” .
Furthermore , we performed a synthesis of current evidence on certain risk factors by means of a meta- analysis to illustrate the strength of their association with bovine lameness .