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 .
Prevalence of lameness and associated risk factors in Canadian Holstein-Friesian cows housed in freestall barns.
Lameness is a severe welfare problem and a production-limiting disease in dairy farming . The objectives of this study were to determine prevalence of lameness and investigate cow- and herd-level factors associated with lameness in dairy cows housed in freestall barns in 3 Canadian provinces . A purposive sample of 40 Holstein-Friesian cows was selected from each of 141 dairy farms in Québec , Ontario , and Alberta . In total , 5,637 cows were scored once for lameness ( presence of limping when walking ) . Data collected included information on individual cows ( hock lesions , claw length , body condition score , parity , days in milk , and milk production ) , management practice s ( floor and stall cleaning routine , bedding routine , and footbath practice s ) , and facility design ( stall dimensions , stall base and bedding type , width of feed alley , flooring type , and slipperiness ) hypothesized to be risk factors for lameness . Multilevel mixed logistic regression models were constructed ( including farm as a r and om effect and province as a fixed effect ) . Herd-level lameness prevalence ranged from 0 to 69 % ( mean = 21 % ) . Lameness prevalence increased with increasing parity ; compared with first parity , cows in parity 2 , 3 , and ≥ 4 had 1.6 , 3.3 , and 4 times , respectively , higher odds of being lame . Furthermore , the odds of lameness were 1.6 times greater in cows with low body condition score ( ≤ 2.5 ) than in cows with a higher body condition score . In addition , injured hocks and overgrown claws were associated with 1.4- and 1.7-fold increased odds of being lame , respectively , whereas every 1 kg increase in daily milk production was associated with a 3 % decrease in the odds of being lame . Lameness prevalence was higher in herds with ≤ 100 cows , but lower in barns with a s and or dirt stall base , or with bedding ≥ 2 cm deep . Cows exposed to very slippery floors had 2 times the odds of being lame compared with cows exposed to nonslippery floors . We attributed the wide range of lameness prevalence to the great variability in facilities and management practice s among farms . Finally , we inferred that the prevalence of lameness could be decreased by improving management of multiparous , thin , or injured cows and by adopting management practice s intended to improve cow comfort , namely the floor 's slip resistance and the stall 's lying surface
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 .