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Modification in housing system affects the behavior and welfare of dairy Jersey crossbred cows in different seasons

ABSTRACT The present study was carried out to investigate the effects of housing comfort on behavior and welfare of Jersey crossbred cows under loose housing system. Twenty crossbred Jersey dairy cows were equally divided into two groups viz., Control-T0 (N = 10) and Treatment-T1 (N = 10) based on their age, parity, stage of lactation and average milk yield. Cows of T0 group were kept in the shed having concrete floor and asbestos roof and T1 group in modified shed facilitated with sand flooring (4–6 in depth; 38% of total floor area) and a thatch ceiling under the asbestos roof. The staying comfort in cows of T1 group was evident through their behavioral expressions such as spending more time for fodder eating (346.41 ± 14.73 vs 287.78 ± 7.87 min; P < 0.01) and resting on lying position (683.51 ± 16.50 vs 634.71 ± 9.39 min, P < 0.05) as compared to T0 group. Cows (T1 group) preferentially liked the sand bed over concrete floor, because they spent 73 % of their lying time on sand bed and 27 % on concrete floor. Due to cushioning effect of sand floor, lesions on knee, hock, leg and other parts of body in T1 group animals were significantly (P < 0.01) less (0.86 ± 0.10; in 0–5 scale) compared to cows kept on concrete floor (2.13 ± 0.09). Locomotion score was poorer in T0 (0.27 ± 0.05) as compare to T1 (0.00). The study concluded that housing modifications through thermal insulation and soft sand bed flooring enhanced herd staying comfort (more feeding and resting time) of crossbred Jersey dairy cows, minimized lesions on knee, hock, leg, and other body parts, improved hoof health, diminished stress conditions to animals and thus increased overall welfare of animals.