Indicadores do bem-estar na cria de bezerras em diferentes sistemas de criação

Abstract

Dairy systems in the creation phase of calves is one of the phases that holds the attention of producers for being considered of high cost, mainly for the duration and the use of whole milk for animal feed, since this should be composing the product revenue intended for human consumption. In this respect it is necessary the use of alternatives to creating systems that allow the producer to find the balance between the efficient creation, proper conditions of animal welfare and the economic profitability of the system. The present study was conducted to assess animal welfare indicators in different systems of baby calves of milk. Data collections were carried out to characterize performance, ingestivo behavior, social behavior, reactivity, blood and fecal parameters of animals in breeding systems individualized and group creation. 10 experimental animals were used race Jersey, divided into two lots of handling. The experiment was conducted at Embrapa temperate Lowlands Experimental Station, in the municipality of Capão do Leão, Rio Grande do Sul. Performance as well as the biometric development were similar regardless of the type of accommodation (P0 .05). Calves housed individually spent more time pastejando compared the collective housing. The blood parameters have not changed according to the type of accommodation, but the parasite burden was higher for animals housed individually after the recommended treatment. The collective accommodation allows interaction, socialization and establishment of the group hierarchy, fundamental for developing skills and learning, and the time allocated to this activity was in average of 459.55 minutosdia. No differences were found (P>0,05) to ingestivo behavior parameters relating to time for rumination, leisure and water consumption, but differences were found for the time destined to grazing activity (P=0,0056) and consumption of hay (P<0 ,0001) for the different housing systems. The development of ingestivo behaviour and social behaviour, may be established and consolidated at the stage of lactation and are important tools to promote animal welfare in farming systems. The creation in collective accommodation provides developing skills fundamental to animal learning and the ability to establish the group interactions. The reactivity of dairy heifers don't show it to be associated with the build system, but it seems to be related to the type of management advocated by the attendants in routine because managements, even aversive when necessary, don't affect the reactivity of the animals front insulation condition or in human presence.