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Monitoring and assisting transition from dehorned to horned dairy herds or from tying to loose housing systems with horned cows involving demonstration farms as a basis for qualified advisory services for dairy cattle farming
Project
Project code: 2812NA104
Contract period: 01.10.2014
- 31.10.2017
Budget: 337,630 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
This project serves to scientifically monitor and analyse the transition process from dehorned to horned dairy herds or from tying to loose housing systems with horned cows and to provide targeted advisory assistance. It is carried out in cooperation with Demeter e.V. and Bioland Beratung GmbH. One important element of the advisory process will be the involvement of demonstration farms that already successfully keep horned dairy cows in loose housing systems. Based on the results of the monitoring and analysis recommendations will be reviewed and elaborated for farming and advisory practice.
Altogether 40 farms will participate in this project: 32 to 36 so-called transition farms (T-farms) where herds are changing from dehorned to horned cows or from tie to loose housing systems with horned cows, and 4 to 8 demonstration farms with horned cows in loose housing (D-farms). In the first winter period all farms will be subjected to a thorough status-quo analysis. Results will be evaluated with reference to existing recommendations. Individual reports will be made to the participating advisors with whom a set of farm individual recommendations will be discussed and agreed. Advisors will assist the T-farms on this basis in the course of regular face to face advice and in peer group discussions including the D-farmers. In the second and third year scientific monitoring will continue with one data collection per year. Results again will be discussed with advisors. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses will be carried out on the data with the outcome variables „injuries“ and „agonistic interactions“ and housing and management conditions as well as implemented measures and horn status as potential influencing factors. In the evaluation of the results existing recommendations and the experiences from the advisors as well as from the peer group discussions will beconsidered. Also the advisory process will be evaluated taking into account the appraisal of the farmers.
Keywords: cattle, dairy cows, horns, loose housing
Section overview
Subjects
- Animal Husbandry
- Business administration
- Farm animal behaviour
Framework programme
Federal Organic Farming Scheme and other forms of sustainable agriculture (BÖLN)
