People expect cows to graze. Pastoral scenes of cows at pasture are used by many marketing groups to sell milk products. Yet the reality of our dairy industry in North America and many other parts of the globe is very different with a shift toward larger herds, indoor housing, and more intensive management.
Outdoor Access Check List
- Consumers place significant value on the ability of dairy cows to roam freely outside
- Cows seek housing during the day and outside access during the night when given the choice
- Some outside access may have beneficial effects on hoof health with limited impact on milk production
- New facilities should consider designing some outdoor access areas for strategic use
Proponents of grazing argue that the cow is managed in a more natural state and is free to carry out all normal behaviors, which obviously includes grazing. They will point to significant literature that identifies the obvious problem of housing, which limits natural behavior and is associated with increased production-related diseases such as mastitis and lameness. However, the realities of grazing are also clear to those that work with such herds when you expose cattle to the elements; rainfall in the winter, early spring and late fall, muddy tracks and frozen teats, heat stress and lack of shade in the summer, water delivery challenges, and fly problems. There are also environmental concerns related to managing runoff that preclude grazing in certain areas.
We believe housing is essential for the management of dairy cows in most climates. Even most grazing herds only graze during the summer months and house during the winter. However, we are also very aware of an expectation by the consumer that cows have ‘freedom to roam’.
Facilities built to the standards of The Dairyland Initiative, when coupled with excellent herd management, result in very high standards of well-being while delivering much increased productivity. However, we would be remiss not to consider the possibility that some access to the outdoors may be good for the cow, and while we will stop short of ‘grazing’, allowing cows freedom to roam in an outside lot has significant appeal to the consumer.
One study has shown that given 24-hour access to pasture, locomotion score appears to improve by one point over a short 4-week period. This improvement occurred despite reduced lying time per day at pasture compared to freestall housing (10.9 vs 12.3 hours per day).
When given the choice between life at pasture and life in a freestall barn, cows choose both, preferring to be at pasture during the night and indoors during the day. Rainfall and production level favor the choice to move inside of the barn. Cows appear to maintain this preference even under conditions of overstocking inside of the freestall.
When given the choice, cows are happy to use housing when it is provided, but they also value access to the outside, especially when water and shade are easily accessible. In some situations, this may benefit hoof health.
A recent study demonstrated that for heifers and cows given overnight access to pasture from 4 weeks before to 8 weeks after calving, compared to continuous freestall housing, production was maintained at ~84 lb (38 kg) milk per cow per day overall with no differences between the groups. Unfortunately, this study also demonstrated no lameness benefit of overnight pasture access. However, two recent studies, including one of our own here in Wisconsin, have shown that pasture access is a significant factor influencing lameness prevalence. In a group of New England dairy herds, lameness decreased with deep bedding and pasture access during the dry period. Also, in a group of high producing Wisconsin freestall herds, 9% allowed the high group mature cows pasture access, and this practice was associated with a beneficial effect on lameness.
Life in an optimally designed deep loose bedded freestall facility with free access to TMR (Total Mixed Ration) can meet the vast majority of the needs of the cow and maintain high levels of production and well-being. Not every farm needs to allow their cows to have pasture access. However, it is clear that cows enjoy some access to the outdoors, and in some situations, there may be a health benefit. New facilities should plan some outdoor access areas for strategic use, when weather conditions are favorable. For barns with comfort issues, such as uncomfortable mat or mattress stalls, allowing strategic periods outside the barn may have a positive impact on lameness prevention and recovery. At this time, we are cautious to recommend pasture lot access for early lactation groups since this may increase the risk for ketosis and potentially limit production.
Cows enjoying time out of the barn!
