The behaviour of lactating dairy cows in a freestall barn in dependence on air temperature

摘要

In this study activity and lying behavior of dairy cows were examined. ALT-pedometers for automatic detection of behavior were used. The results of the investigations show that lactating dairy cows react with altered behavior on different temperatures. Particularly affected was the resting behavior. At high temperatures the total length of lying decreased and the number of lying periods increased. The exact temperature is not known at which a cow has significant stress. So results are insufficient to fully exploit the behavior as an indicator of heat stress.