How Does the Provision of Shade during Grazing Affect Heat Stress Experienced by Dairy Cows in Sweden?

Heat stress in dairy cows can cause an increase in body temperature and respiration rate, and a decreased feed intake leading to reduced production. Dairy cows are better at handling heat when they have access to shade. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effects of providing shade to high-yielding dairy cattle during the summer in the Swedish climate.

Where do we find missing data in a commercial real-time location system? Evidence from 2 dairy farms.

Real-time indoor positioning using ultra-wideband devices provides an opportunity for modern dairy farms to monitor the behavior of individual cows; however, missing data from these devices hinders reliable continuous monitoring and analysis of animal movement and social behavior. The objective of this study was to examine the data quality, in terms of missing data, in one commercially available ultra-wideband-based real-time location system for dairy cows. The focus was on detecting major obstacles, or sections, inside open freestall barns that resulted in increased levels of missing data.

From the Horse's Perspective: Investigating Attachment Behaviour and the Effect of Training Method on Fear Reactions and Ease of Handling-A Pilot Study.

The study investigated equine responses to novelty and handling, aiming to reveal whether horse-human relationships reflect criteria of an attachment bond. Twelve adult Standardbreds were subjected to a fear-eliciting test (novel objects presented close to two humans) and a handling test (being led passing novel objects) to study attachment-related behaviours and ease of handling. The tests were performed both before (pre-test) and after (post-test) horses had been trained by the same female handler (10 sessions of 15 min).

First-night effect on sleep time in dairy cows.

In human sleep studies, the probability of discomfort from the electrodes and the change in environment usually results in first-night recordings being discarded. Sleep recordings from the first night in human subjects often differ in amount of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep and the overall sleep architecture. This study investigated whether recordings of sleep states in dairy cows also show a first-night effect.

Technical note: Validation and comparison of 2 commercially available activity loggers.

To validate the accuracy of 2 commercially available activity loggers in determining lying, standing, walking, and number of steps in dairy cows, 30 cows were fitted with the CowScout Leg (GEA Farm Technologies, Bönen, Germany) system and the IceTag (IceRobotics Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland) system. The CowScout Leg logger reports standing and lying in 15-min periods, whereas the IceTag logger reports standing and lying every second.