PHOTO: HANS PRINSEN
RESEARCH ▶▶▶
What is the best surface to prevent lameness?
BY MATTHEW WEDZERAI, FREELANCE CORRESPONDENT A
long with mastitis and infertility, lameness is one of the main welfare, health and production prob- lems found in intensive dairy farms worldwide. Re- searchers from different universities investigated
five different surfaces used in free-housing systems, high- lighting the risk potential of lameness for each surface. They compared two natural (grass and sand) and three artificial (rubber, asphalt and concrete) surfaces, comparing each flooring type’s influences on cows’ movement capabilities, us- ing all the available information relating to kinematics, kinet- ics, behaviour and posture in free-housed dairy cows. Their findings also emphasise the importance of considering mate- rial properties and the design of any surface, to move towards a more grass-like feel that reduces incidence of lameness and promotes animal welfare.
Main causes of lameness Studies show three main causes of bovine lameness in free-housing systems: • Low stall hygiene, which increases the risk of sliding, leading to injuries, and boosting the risk of infections.
• Metabolic acidosis – a consequence of carbohydrate-rich diets.
• Mechanical imbalance, such as an increase in high loads at the joints, and accelerated hoof wear, due to hard and abrasive surface stall flooring. Among these causes, prevalence data shows that hard and abrasive surfaces are behind most bovine lameness. There- fore, flooring type is worth considering in decisions to optimise dairy management and production processes.
Determining differences In this study, researchers constructed an integrative analysis of functional ranges (IAFuR), based on an adapted version of the Movement Ecology Paradigm, to evaluate the movement parameters involved in the risk of lameness in cows on five different surfaces used in free-housing systems: two natural (grass and sand) and three artificial (rubber, asphalt and con- crete). IAFuR provided a combined welfare status guide for the optimal (i.e. within the upper and lower limit) functional ranges for movement (i.e. posture, kinematics and kinetics),
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While grass is the best support surface for cattle, in many places it cannot be used, particularly when climate conditions are too harsh for grass to grow or be maintained or in housing systems that do not support access to a grass surface. In such circumstances, what other types of surfaces can be used and what role do they have in either promoting or preventing lameness?
navigation (i.e. behaviour) and recovery capacities (i.e. meta- bolic cost). Thus, the purpose of the IAFuR was to determine the movement profile in each case, as well as to identify the main consequences of using alternative surfaces to grass.
Grass In summary, grass was found as the optimal surface because of three main attributes: (a) it mechanically provides a wide joint range, which boosts joint homeostasis, (b) it allows relia- ble and safe movement patterns while lowering metabolic costs, and (c) it promotes a longer resting time and a lower prevalence of lameness (1–22.5%). However, an interesting question that came from this result is whether these indica- tors remain true in poorly maintained pastures compared to well-managed indoor systems. The researchers highlighted that, although they did not have direct evidence about the movement parameters according to different types and
Rubber remains an interesting alternative surface to the natural ones.
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