Shamir Ahsan
Md. Taohidul Islam, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
M. Ariful Islam
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh-2202, Bangladesh
Animal-based parameters, Welfare assessment, Dairy cattle, Bangladesh
Sirajganj district of Bangladesh
Animal Health and Management
The present study was conducted during the period from February 2016 to April 2016 in Sirajganj district of Bangladesh. During the visit farm, the farmer were informed of the purpose of the study and assured that their participation was voluntary and their identity was kept confidential. The on-farm assessment took an hour long interview and direct observation on ocular discharge; nasal discharge, hampered breathing, diarrhea, body condition score, cleanliness of udder, flank/upper legs and lower legs and lameness. Production and health records were collected from the farmers and record books for each animal. Selection of farms: The family dairy farms were selected in Sirajganj district for complete the research, as it is the major milk producing district in Bangladesh. In the case of Sirajganj, farms were defined by the criteria (a) location, (b) size and (c) production system so as to cover the farm types that make important contributions to milk production in the region. Nearly half of the milk in Bangladesh is produced on the northern region, where Sirajganj district is located. Farms and animals: This study involved the collection of data from dairy farm. The study focused on the Australian cross breed, as the majority of dairy cow in Sirajganj. About 33 dairy farm located in Sirajganj, a sample of 330 females that responded to a questionnaire. The herd size of the farms represents minimum 10 female cow (lactating cow, dry cow and heifers). The dairy cattle rearing method was similar (artificial insemination, calves being separate from mother at the age of 1 to 7 days and fed by man) in all family hold farms. Questionnaire: Face-to-face interviews with the farmers were carried out using a questionnaire with multiple-choice and semi-closed questions to collect animal-linked parameters related to welfare. The first part of the interview covered data on farm characteristics such as number of dairy cattle in each category (total cows, lactating cows and heifers), and total milk production. The second part of the questionnaire referred to the welfare assessment parameters such as BCS, body injury, lameness, poor cleanliness, most important disease (mastitis, reproductive problems, ocular and nasal discharge, diarrhea, or other). At all times, farmers had the opportunity to clarify questions and added personal information and remarks. Body condition scoring: An average score of 2 is the most desirable for the majority of the herd. A four point body condition score system was used, in which a score of 0 was very thin, and a score of 3 was very fat. These are extreme scores and should be avoided. Because only extreme BCS (too thin or too fat) is likely to have negative effects on animal welfare. Cows were classified as BCS 0 = very thin, BCS 1= thin, BCS 2 = ideal, and BCS 3 = obese. A condition score of 2 is thought to be acceptable for lactating Australian-local cross bred dairy cows. Cleanliness score: Experimental animals were scored using a modification of the system described by Krebs et al. (2001). A scoring chart divided the animal body into five identifiable areas which were rated on a scale with anchor points at each end (0: clean and 1: dirty). The five regions were: hind limb, Udder, Flanks, dull hair coat, thick and shiny hair coat. Lameness score: Lameness is painful to the animal, it is a serious welfare issue as cows suffer and is costly to the dairy farm business. Locomotion scoring is based on the observation of cows standing and walking (gait), with special emphasis on their back posture. The lameness score was recorded after the afternoon milking using a scheme proposed by Breuer et al., (2000). Data were collected when cows were present in the shed. A score of 0 to 3 was used, where 0 was assigned when the animal was not lame (normal gait), 1 was given when the cow was mild lame, 2 was indicates, moderate lameness in cow and 3 was recorded when the cow was suffer from severely lame. Milk yield: Data on milk traits (production) of per day were obtained directly from farmers’ question and sore were from record book of farm. Cows which were complete 3 to 6 month lactation were considered. Manual milking was carried twice daily (at early morning and afternoon). Skin Lesions and injury of body regions: During data collection on farm, cows were inspected for different lesions on different parts of animal body. The lesion and injuries was observed by directly and data was collected by observation of two side of body with some modification: the area around the carpal and tarsal joints, any lesions on head, abdomen and tail and percentage of cows per herd that presented skin lesion in each area was calculated (%). Data Analysis: Percentage (%) of values was calculated for different variable. To find out the significance difference in milk yield in relation to history of mastitis and BCS, student’s t test and analysis of variance were done by using SPSS v. 20.
Res. Agric. Livest., Fish. Vol. 3, No. 3, December 2016: 417-424
Journal