HYGIENIC ASSESSMENT OF DAIRY COWS UNDER TIE-STALL HOUSING

Abstract

In modern dairy farming, the microclimate parameters of livestock premises are considered one of the leading factors determining the physiological state, productivity and welfare of dairy cows. Air temperature, relative humidity, speed of its movement and concentration of harmful gases form a thermoregulatory load on the animal body and directly affect feed consumption, milk production, immune status and reproductive function. According to modern research, deviation of microclimate parameters from the thermoneutral zone causes heat or cold stress, which is accompanied by a decrease in milk yield, a change in the composition of milk and an increase in morbidity. The problem becomes particularly relevant in conditions of tethered and stalled housing, where the motor activity of cows is limited, and the animals are in direct contact with the litter and the stall microclimate for a long time. In such systems, it is the parameters of the air environment and the sanitary condition of the stalls that determine the level of body contamination, udder cleanliness and the risk of mastitis, which is considered an effective indicator of welfare outcome.