Production and physiological responses of heat-stressed lactating dairy cattle to conductive cooling

This research tested the effectiveness of conductive cooling in alleviating heat stress of lactating dairy cows. A conductive cooling system was built with waterbeds (Dual Chamber Cow Waterbeds, Advanced Comfort Technology Inc., Reedsburg, WI) modified to circulate chilled water. Conductively cooling the cows with 4,5°C water decreased the rectal temperature by 1,0°C and respiration rate by 18 breaths/min. Conversely, it increased milk yield by 5% and DMI by 14% compared with the controls. When the results were compared, they found that rectal temperature from 4,5°C cooling water was 0,3°C lower than the rectal temperature with 10°C cooling water. However, the other measurements did not indicate a statistically significant difference between the cooling water temperatures. Placing waterbeds on concrete stalls without additional cooling did not have a measurable effect in alleviating the heat stress of cows. To read more, click HERE.

J Dairy Science August 2015

Vol. 98, No. 8, pp. 5252-5261

1. Perano, J. Usack, L. Angenent, K. Gebremedhin