UBC Animal welfare researchers are learning what the world looks like for a cow – photo by Martin Dee
UBC Reports | Vol. 55 | No. 7 | July 2, 2009
By Lorraine Chan
What does the world look like to a cow?
UBC researchers are using science to understand how dairy cattle experience the environments we build for them. As a result, the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS) has earned a global reputation for advancing calf and cow welfare and practical solutions that work for industry.
“How dairy cattle eat, sleep, rest and interact speaks volumes about their preferences,” says Marina (Nina) von Keyserlingk, an associate professor in the LFS Animal Welfare Program. “By analyzing their behaviour, we can help producers avoid costly problems such as lameness and other common illnesses.”
Earlier this year, von Keyserlingk and LFS Animal Welfare Professors Dan Weary and David Fraser received a $1 million Industrial Research Chair (IRC) joint award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and eight Canadian dairy farming organizations: the Dairy Farmers of Canada; Westgen Endowment Fund; Pfizer Animal Health; Beef Cattle Industry Development Fund; BC Milk Producers Association; BC Dairy Foundation; BC Dairy Education and Research Association; and Alberta Milk.
The researchers will use the five-year award to expand previous studies on the key “transitions” in the life of dairy animals, periods when they are especially vulnerable to illness. These critical times include the start of lactation, the end of lactation, and the weaning process for calves. The research will help the dairy industry make improvements in management and facility design that can benefit both the farmers and the cows.
Fraser says the science-based solutions from the Animal Welfare Program are the reasons why the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre (DERC) has attracted international partners from countries like Brazil, Chile and Germany among others.
“While other dairy research centres mostly address nutrition and production issues, DERC has pioneered studies that incorporate the animals’ social behaviour and environmental needs,” says Fraser.
Located in Agassiz, BC DERC is the only research facility in North America with an automated system that can track the feed and water intake of individual animals. The facility also offers a 24-hour surveillance system that allows investigators to monitor the movements and choices of more than 300 dairy cows. Researchers use sophisticated software to analyze the data to decipher the animals’ behaviour.
“We have the strongest group of cattle welfare researchers in the world,” says Weary. “A long history of collaboration with the dairy industry also keeps our research current. The changes we suggest are grounded in the constraints of modern dairy farming while still improving the lives of animals.”
In March 2009, the Dairy Farmers of Canada – a voice for more than 13,600 producers – published a new Recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle that incorporates many DERC findings such as pain control methods during dehorning, improved calf housing and feeding practices and lameness prevention.
“UBC researchers are making outstanding and lasting contributions to dairy farming,” says Dr. Rejean Bouchard of Dairy Farmers of Canada. “Producers in Canada and internationally can trust that these best-practice guidelines will translate into better lives for their animals.”
Buddy system works for calves
LFS Animal Welfare Program PhD student Andreia Vieira is studying the benefits of social enrichment and cognitive development for calves during weaning. Her research shows that calves do much better in pairs.
Currently, calves are removed from their mothers shortly after birth. They are then housed in single stalls and fed with an artificial teat. When they are two- to four-months old, calves are then weaned and given starter feed, a period that causes some stress.
“When a calf is isolated, it will vocalize 10 times more,” says Andreia. “But when they have a social partner, they’re much less stressed. They learn together.”
A veterinarian from Sao Paolo, Vieira has received substantial scholarships from the Brazilian government to study at UBC.
“Brazil has major beef and poultry industries and there’s a huge interest in what UBC is doing in this relatively new science of combining animal psychology and production,” she says.
