Effect of Locomotion Score on the Lying Behaviour of Zero-Grazed Holstein Dairy Cattle

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of increasing locomotion score (LS; high scores indicate lame cows) on lying behaviour of Holstein dairy cattle. Lameness in dairy cows effects the time spent lying down. Lying time can also be influenced by stage of lactation and cubicle comfort
The study was conducted on a zero-grazed commercial 425 cow UK dairy farm from 15th Jan to 2nd Feb 2007. Cows were milked three times daily and housed in free stalls. The standing and lying behaviour of 59 lactating dairy cows was measured using activity monitors (IceTag™, Ice Robotics Ltd, UK) for 4 days.
Although LS-3 cows spent significantly more time lying down per day overall compared to LS-1 and LS-2 cows (Table 1), lying behaviour was dependant on time of day and management activity. Fewer (64%) LS-3 cows were lying down between 12am and 3am than LS-1 (84%) and LS-2 (75%) (Fig 2). This may be due to lame cows trying to avoid conflict by feeding at quieter times. LS 1 cows were quicker to react to feed push up and quicker to get up for milking ...