Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats
Due to a rising demand for goat milk and goat milk products worldwide, it is likely that dairy goat production will be intensified in the future, with larger herds per farm. In Switzerland, as in many other countries with intensive farming systems, dairy goats are typically housed on deep litter, wi...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1873 |
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| author | Lisa Marie Sailer Mirjam Holinger Joan-Bryce Burla Beat Wechsler Patrik Zanolari Katharina Friedli |
| author_facet | Lisa Marie Sailer Mirjam Holinger Joan-Bryce Burla Beat Wechsler Patrik Zanolari Katharina Friedli |
| author_sort | Lisa Marie Sailer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Due to a rising demand for goat milk and goat milk products worldwide, it is likely that dairy goat production will be intensified in the future, with larger herds per farm. In Switzerland, as in many other countries with intensive farming systems, dairy goats are typically housed on deep litter, with little access to hard abrasive surfaces. Such housing conditions will result in wall horn overgrowth. The aim of this study was to gain profound knowledge on the occurrence of overgrown wall horn, its impact on claw health and locomotor behavior, and possible adverse effects on animal welfare. Additionally, housing and management factors that may contribute to non-physiological claw conditions were evaluated. To compare claw conditions after the summer grazing period and the winter indoor housing period, data were collected on 28 Swiss dairy goat farms in autumn and spring (621 goats in total). Claw lesions were recorded with the help of a “claw card” documenting each claw. Furthermore, pictures were taken of each claw to determine the severity of wall horn overgrowth. Locomotion behavior (activity, lying time and lying bouts) was recorded with three-dimensional accelerometers fixed to the goats’ hind legs. In autumn, 66.7% of the examined claws showed moderate overgrowth, 32.4% severe overgrowth and 0.9% no overgrowth. In spring, 47.4% of the examined claws were affected with moderate overgrowth, 52.6% with severe overgrowth and 0.0% with no overgrowth. Horn separation (48.1% of examined claws) and sole hemorrhages (16.0% of examined claws) were the most frequent lesions. In goats with severely overgrown claws, the risk of developing sole hemorrhages was doubled compared with moderate overgrowth. The occurrence rate of horn separation was lower if the trimmer had attended a special skills training course (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, locomotor activity (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and the number of lying bouts per day (<i>p</i> < 0.01) were higher in spring than autumn. Neither the goats’ activity nor the number of lying bouts per day differed before and after claw trimming. Finally, season and trimming were not associated with the goats’ total lying time. A certain extent of wall horn overgrowth in dairy goat claws cannot be avoided under the housing conditions typical for Swiss farms. Severe wall horn overgrowth is associated with an increase in the proportion of claws with sole hemorrhages. Therefore, regular and careful functional claw trimming, taking the housing situation (deep bedding, access to pasture, grazing on alpine pasture) into account, should be promoted. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:07:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-279ec8ec6cfe4cef912aad1e80d35c52 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T10:07:16Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| spelling | doaj.art-279ec8ec6cfe4cef912aad1e80d35c522023-11-22T01:23:56ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-06-01117187310.3390/ani11071873Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy GoatsLisa Marie Sailer0Mirjam Holinger1Joan-Bryce Burla2Beat Wechsler3Patrik Zanolari4Katharina Friedli5Centre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO, Agroscope Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, SwitzerlandDepartment of Livestock Sciences, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture FiBL, Ackerstrasse 113, 5070 Frick, SwitzerlandCentre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO, Agroscope Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, SwitzerlandCentre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO, Agroscope Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, SwitzerlandClinic for Ruminants, Vetsuisse-Faculty, University of Bern, Bremgartenstrasse 109a, 3012 Bern, SwitzerlandCentre for Proper Housing of Ruminants and Pigs, Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office FSVO, Agroscope Tänikon, 8356 Ettenhausen, SwitzerlandDue to a rising demand for goat milk and goat milk products worldwide, it is likely that dairy goat production will be intensified in the future, with larger herds per farm. In Switzerland, as in many other countries with intensive farming systems, dairy goats are typically housed on deep litter, with little access to hard abrasive surfaces. Such housing conditions will result in wall horn overgrowth. The aim of this study was to gain profound knowledge on the occurrence of overgrown wall horn, its impact on claw health and locomotor behavior, and possible adverse effects on animal welfare. Additionally, housing and management factors that may contribute to non-physiological claw conditions were evaluated. To compare claw conditions after the summer grazing period and the winter indoor housing period, data were collected on 28 Swiss dairy goat farms in autumn and spring (621 goats in total). Claw lesions were recorded with the help of a “claw card” documenting each claw. Furthermore, pictures were taken of each claw to determine the severity of wall horn overgrowth. Locomotion behavior (activity, lying time and lying bouts) was recorded with three-dimensional accelerometers fixed to the goats’ hind legs. In autumn, 66.7% of the examined claws showed moderate overgrowth, 32.4% severe overgrowth and 0.9% no overgrowth. In spring, 47.4% of the examined claws were affected with moderate overgrowth, 52.6% with severe overgrowth and 0.0% with no overgrowth. Horn separation (48.1% of examined claws) and sole hemorrhages (16.0% of examined claws) were the most frequent lesions. In goats with severely overgrown claws, the risk of developing sole hemorrhages was doubled compared with moderate overgrowth. The occurrence rate of horn separation was lower if the trimmer had attended a special skills training course (<i>p</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, locomotor activity (<i>p</i> < 0.01) and the number of lying bouts per day (<i>p</i> < 0.01) were higher in spring than autumn. Neither the goats’ activity nor the number of lying bouts per day differed before and after claw trimming. Finally, season and trimming were not associated with the goats’ total lying time. A certain extent of wall horn overgrowth in dairy goat claws cannot be avoided under the housing conditions typical for Swiss farms. Severe wall horn overgrowth is associated with an increase in the proportion of claws with sole hemorrhages. Therefore, regular and careful functional claw trimming, taking the housing situation (deep bedding, access to pasture, grazing on alpine pasture) into account, should be promoted.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1873claw lesiondairy goathousinglocomotor activitymanagementovergrown wall horn |
| spellingShingle | Lisa Marie Sailer Mirjam Holinger Joan-Bryce Burla Beat Wechsler Patrik Zanolari Katharina Friedli Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats Animals claw lesion dairy goat housing locomotor activity management overgrown wall horn |
| title | Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats |
| title_full | Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats |
| title_fullStr | Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats |
| title_short | Influence of Housing and Management on Claw Health in Swiss Dairy Goats |
| title_sort | influence of housing and management on claw health in swiss dairy goats |
| topic | claw lesion dairy goat housing locomotor activity management overgrown wall horn |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/7/1873 |
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