Heather W. Neave, Karin E. Schütz
Dairy cows are motivated to access dry lying surfaces and seek protection from wind and rain; however, weather conditions may limit these opportunities when cows are managed outdoors. The primary aim of this observational study was to determine the effects of weather and paddock soil conditions on the lying behavior of dairy cows managed outdoors during winter and fed crop in situ, a common practice in New Zealand with year-round grazing. The study involved four groups of 90 nonlactating, pregnant cows managed on four separate paddocks. Daily lying time was measured with group as the observational unit, considering several fixed and random effects. Results indicated lying time decreased on the day of and day after rainfall, correlating with increased rainfall amounts, while two days after rainfall, lying time rebounded to above pre-rainfall levels. The day following the heaviest rainfall indicated a decrease in average lying time significantly, with a notable proportion of cows not lying down at all. Additionally, lying time diminished with deteriorating paddock soil conditions, particularly with surface water pooling. Hence, the study highlights significant weather and soil effects on the lying behavior of dairy cows.
@article{f015c8dd-2d79-44e2-a978-c782f81b35c2,
title={Behavior of dairy cows managed outdoors},
author={Heather W. Neave and Karin E. Schütz},
year={2026},
language={en}
}TY - JOUR TI - Behavior of dairy cows managed outdoors AU - Heather W. Neave AU - Karin E. Schütz PY - 2026 LA - en ER -
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