@conference {41553,
	title = {Animal welfare in large dairy herds: a survey of current practices},
	booktitle = {Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	volume = {65},
	year = {2005},
	month = {Jan},
	pages = {127-131},
	publisher = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	organization = {New Zealand Society of Animal Production},
	address = {Christchurch},
	abstract = {To gain insight into the farm practices and animal welfare issues on large dairy herds, we conducted a postal survey (n = 132). The questionnaire covered four areas: demographics, stand-off practices, management during extreme weather, and races. Respondents managed 910 {\textpm} 466 (mean {\textpm} SD) milking cows during the 2003 season. When asked to identify the most important animal welfare problem on their farm, 73\% of the respondents named one of the following: lameness, disease, or nutrition/growth. Fifty-one percent of respondents used some form of stand-off area during periods of inclement weather. There are several management practices used with stand-off areas that are relevant to animal welfare including: provision of feed, shelter, space allowance, and surface type. During extreme winter and summer weather, a range of practices was used to manage cows, including changes in grazing patterns. For example, 61\% of respondents used paddocks closer to the milking shed and 40\% used sprinklers at the shed during hot weather. Finally, on average, cows walked 1.9 {\textpm} 0.8 km to the milking shed, and walking distance increased with the number of cows/farm. Farmers demonstrated awareness of animal welfare issues and implemented management practices that likely improve the well-being of their stock.
KEYWORDS: animal welfare; dairy cattle; herd size; management practices. },
	issn = {1176-5283},
	author = {Tucker CB and Verkerk GA and Small BH and Tarbotton IS and Webster JR}
}
