Maximizing the comfort of cows in stanchion barns to enhance their well-being: this was the mission of the Industrial Research Chair in Sustainable Life of Dairy Cattle, headed by researcher Elsa Vasseur at McGill University. The Chair’s success is due in no small part to the rich exchanges between the research team and dairy farmers, who have benefited from the significant, pioneering results. The research team has made a number of discoveries about cow longevity, profitability and the relationship between well-being, longevity and farm profitability.
A good start could be the key to longevity
Longevity is a key aspect of sustainability in the dairy industry. The longer cows remain productive in the herd, the more profitable the herd. The research team evaluated the impact of early life indicators on the longevity of Holstein heifers in Quebec herds. Results showed that small size at birth, calving complications and twin gestation increased the risk of early culling during the cow’s productive life. This information offers new perspectives for the early selection of replacement candidates.
Identify herd welfare status
Animal welfare is also an integral part of the dairy industry’s sustainability. A study was conducted to profile the welfare status of Quebec dairy herds using data from the ProAction program collected on nearly 2,700 farms between 2016 and 2019. Five unique herd welfare profiles were established. The profile with the best overall well-being also showed the highest longevity, profitability and productivity.
Moving cows
What does providing cows with access to an exercise area mean in practice? A series of experiments conducted in stanchion barns have shown that when an indoor or outdoor exercise area is provided, regardless of size, cows will walk more, but not so much. Cows don’t exercise! Access to an exercise area improved cows’ ability to walk and producers’ ease of handling them. The project also demonstrated that access to the outdoors could be provided in all seasons, without affecting the animals’ thermal comfort. Future initiatives will aim to quantify the appropriate frequency and duration of access to exercise to maximize the benefits for the cows, while proposing practices to facilitate the management of outings.
Working with producers at every stage of the research process has been very enriching for me as a researcher over the 6 years of the Chair. There has been a lot of feedback between all the partners, and this has generated even more relevant results. It also leads to faster applications on the cow floor.
Elsa Vasseur
Chair Holder at the Industrial Research Chair in Sustainable Life of Dairy Cattle
McGill University
