Comparison between conventional tie-barn and loose housing systems with respect to milk production,feed conversion and reproductive performance of dairy cows |
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| Authors: | SP Konggaard |
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| Institution: | National Institute of Animal Science, Copenhagen, Denmark |
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| Abstract: | From a long-term experiment with three different types of housing for dairy cows, preliminary results are given for milk production, feeding efficiency and reproductive performance. The three types of housing are: (1) a conventional tie-barn, (2) an insulated cubicle (free-stall) barn with slatted floors, and (3) an uninsulated loafing barn (deep-bedding).In the first year of the experiment (adaptation period), cows in the tie-stall produced approximately 10% more milk than the cows in the two loose housing systems. During the following three years of the experiment, there were no significant differences in production level, the cows in the deep-bedded loose housing being the highest producers followed by the cows in the tie-barn.Over 305-day lactation periods, cows in 1st lactation in the tie-barn produced more milk than the 1st lactation cows in the two loose housing units, although the difference was not significant. For cows in 2nd–5th lactation no significant differences in milk production were found between the tie-barn and loose housing systems except for protein percent in the milk.Calculations of feed intake and feeding efficiency showed that the overall feeding efficiency was 2.5 and 2.8% units lower for the cows in the cubicle barn and deep-bedded barn, respectively, as compared to the cows in the tie-barn.During the 4-year period the cows in the deep-bedded loose housing system showed the best reproductive performance. Number of inseminations per pregnancy, calving interval, and cows culled were lowest for the cows in this unit. |
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