slugImplementation of the Welfare Quality® protocol in dairy farms raised on extensive, semi-intensive and intensive systems in Costa Rica
Journal Title: Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology - Year 2017, Vol 5, Issue 4
Abstract
Most developing countries are situated in nonextreme climates; this characteristic facilitates outdoor farming the whole year around and animals are kept at pasture most of the day. This characteristic may influence the feasibility of some animal welfare assessment protocols developed for intensive systems. With the objective of testing the Welfare Quality® protocol for dairy cattle in Costa Rica, 60 farms in three different farming systems were assessed. The farms were visited only once to assess the observational part and workers were interviewed to obtain the information related to the management and health of the animals. Descriptive statistics for continuous variables was performed; a one-way Anova and a multiple Student’s t-test were applied for a comparison between groups of farms, in general and by each aspect. The farms were grouped according to the management system: Intensive, semi-intensive and extensive. None of the groups reached an excellent welfare state in all three principles of the protocol (good feeding, good health and appropriate behaviour), and only the extensive group achieved an excellent welfare state in good housing. The principle of good health was the lower for the three systems and on average all farms were placed below a neutral welfare state. The protocol underlines differences between the farms studied. There might be a need for modifications of the assessment protocol directed towards specific features in extensive and semi-intensive farms. Indicators of well-being for this type of enterprises are in demand.
Authors and Affiliations
Adalinda Hernández ▪ Sandra Estrada König ▪ Juan Jose Romero Zúñiga ▪ Carlos Salvador Galina ▪ Charlotte Berg ▪ Mariano Rojas Gonzales ▪ Alice DiGiacinto Villalobos
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP17945
- DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.14269/2318-1265/jabb.v5n4p132-138
- Views 387
- Downloads 19
slugIngestive behavior and thermoregulatory responses of equine in grazing activities
The objective of this article was to evaluate the main physiological responses, as well as the main patterns of ingestive behavior and physiological parameters of equines in activities grazing. Animal behavior is infl...
slugImplementation of the Welfare Quality® protocol in dairy farms raised on extensive, semi-intensive and intensive systems in Costa Rica
Most developing countries are situated in nonextreme climates; this characteristic facilitates outdoor farming the whole year around and animals are kept at pasture most of the day. This characteristic may influence th...
slugAspects related to animal welfare in pig production
This review aimed to highlight the importance of pig welfare and meat quality, as well as some critical points, solutions to improve the management of these animals for swine production. The animal welfare settings ha...
slugQuality of quail eggs confined in thermoneutral environment and heat stress
The production of Japanese quail has been emphasizing in national scenario in front of the other already consolidated cattle productions and within the agribusiness agroindustrial system. In the last two decades, the...
slugEvaluation of the adaptability of dairy goats in the Brazilian semi-arid region with the aid of infrared thermography
The objective of this study was to evaluate the adaptability of dairy goats with aid of infrared thermography in the environmental conditions of the Brazilian semiarid region. Were used 36 female goats, with a mean of...