title: Maternal isolation behavior of Holstein dairy cows kept indoors.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine if, and under what conditions, indoor-housed dairy cows would seek a shelter to calve. Seventy-two Holstein dairy cows were paired by expected calving date and moved into a maternity pen that contained an open area with no cover and a sheltered area that was covered on all sides except for the ceiling and an entrance where cows could freely enter or exit. Once the first cow of a pair calved ("pair-housed"), she was removed; the second cow remained in the pen until calving ("single-housed"). For both pair- and single-housed cows, location and time of calving was determined by video. For single-housed cows, use of each area in the 12 h before calving was measured, and for pair-housed cows, distance from partner during the 12 h before calving was measured. Single-housed cows were more likely to calve in the shelter but only when calving occurred during the day (P = 0.03). Pair-housed cows were more likely to calve in the open area, regardless of time of day (P = 0.02). Beginning about 8 h before calving, single-housed cows that calved in the shelter increased their use of the shelter, and pair-housed cows spent more time away from their partners (P < 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively). These results suggest that indoor-housed dairy cows prefer a shelter during calving but only when they were housed individually and when calving during the daytime.
authors.affiliation: Animal Welfare Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Proudfoot
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Weary
authors.forename: M A G
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: von Keyserlingk
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D005260:Female; D006799:Housing, Animal; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D036801:Parturition; D013997:Time Factors