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Repeatability of Some Animal-Related Variables in Dairy Cows and Buffaloes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 January 2023

G De Rosa ,
C Tripaldi ,
F Napolitano ,
F Saltalamacchia ,
F Grasso ,
V Bisegna  and
A Bordi
G De Rosa*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze zootecniche e Ispezione degli alimenti, Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’ — Via Università 133, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
C Tripaldi
Affiliation:
Istituto sperimentale per la zootecnia — Via Salaria 31, 00016 Monterotondo (Roma), Italy
F Napolitano
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze delle Produzioni Animali, Università degli Studi della Basilicata — Via N Sauro 85, 85100 Potenza, Italy
F Saltalamacchia
Affiliation:
Istituto sperimentale per la zootecnia — Via Salaria 31, 00016 Monterotondo (Roma), Italy
F Grasso
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze zootecniche e Ispezione degli alimenti, Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’ — Via Università 133, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
V Bisegna
Affiliation:
Istituto sperimentale per la zootecnia — Via Salaria 31, 00016 Monterotondo (Roma), Italy
A Bordi
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Scienze zootecniche e Ispezione degli alimenti, Università degli Studi di Napoli ‘Federico II’ — Via Università 133, 80055 Portici (NA), Italy
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: [email protected]
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Abstract

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the intra-observer repeatability of some animal-related variables which could be used in welfare-assessment protocols at farm level. Recordings were performed on seven dairy farms (four for cattle and three for buffaloes). The animals were observed on three occasions at three-week intervals. The variables collected for each animal were behaviour during milking (stepping and kicking), avoidance distance, lameness, and cleanliness. For each farm and each variable, intra-observer repeatability was computed using the Kendall coefficient of concordance (W). A ratio between the variance of the animal and the sum of the latter with the error variance was also calculated using a model of analysis of variance with one factor (animal), to give a further measure of repeatability. These two methods yielded similar results. In particular, in dairy cattle, a high repeatability for avoidance distance, stepping, lameness and cleanliness was observed, whereas for buffaloes avoidance distance and stepping were the repeatable variables.

Keywords

animal welfarebuffalocattleperformance criteriarepeatabilitywelfare monitoring
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 12 , Issue 4: Proceedings of the 2nd International Workshop on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level , November 2003 , pp. 625 - 629
Copyright
© 2003 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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