Well-being in dairy cow farms in Baden-Wuerttemberg - an analysis particularly considering the barn's year of construction

摘要

In recent years, the well-being of agricultural farm animals has gained the awareness of the general public. For cattle beyond an age of six months, there are no legal ascertainments for structural-technical husbandry conditions besides the Council of Europe's recommendations on cattle farming (1988) and the general regulations of animal protection and the keeping of farm animals. There is a consensus that animal well-being exists if the animals are free of pain and suffering without overextension of their adaptability and are able to develop and live out appropriate behavior to their species. The well-being can be observed on the animals themselves by examining animal-based indicators. The presented study investigated the correlation of the age of dairy cow barns and the animal well-being in 165 dairy cow farms in Baden-Wuerttemberg with a total of 6,024 cows. It was shown, that neither chosen health and performance characteristics nor the broad distribution regarding behavior parameters correlate with the barn's construction year. This supports the conclusion that deficits in animal well-being cannot be justified with older building stock and possibly disproportionately high investment. In order to be able to guarantee the well-being of animals independently from the age of livestock buildings and installations, it is necessary that animal owners show commitment with respect to operational management.