Headlocks Boost Reproductive Efficiency

Headlocks Boost Reproductive Efficiency
The use of headlocks to restrain animals is a much debated
subject. However, this seems to be a more regional debate
as most dairies in the west have used headlocks for many
years. Headlocks were developed in the 70’s so producers
could restrain a large number of cows simultaneously in
order to maximize labor efficiency.
• Large numbers of cows can be restrained for examination,
injections, breeding, etc.
Dr. Palmer’s complete paper can be found in the
Technical Services VIP Lounge on the ABS Global Web
Site (www.absglobal.com).
Other groups have also evaluated headlocks. A group of
researchers2 at Purdue University did a study to evaluate the
effects of headlocks on behavior, feed intake, physiological
parameters, health and milk yield. The cows in this
experiment were locked in headlocks for 4 consecutive hours
on 7 consecutive days. Chart 1 shows that dry matter intakes
and milk yeild of the two groups were identical. In addition,
these researchers looked at CHART 1 - PRODUCTION PARAMETERS
the levels of mean plasma
■ Locked
70
cortisol and the ratio of
65
65
■ Unlocked
nuetrophils to mononu60
51.8 51.8
clear cells (N:M),which
50
are physiological indica40
tors of well-being and
stress. Once again, they
30
found no differences
20
between the two groups.
10
Finally, the study found
no significant difference
0
Milk Yield (lbs.)
DMI (lbs./day)
in components or somatic
Parameter
cell count between the
two groups,with the exception of protein, as shown in chart 2.
Value
Some of the negative comments frequently heard about
headlocks include:
• “they restrict dry matter intake”
• “they stress the cows to much”
• “they are so noisy they irritate the cows”
• “they cost to much”
Interestingly, the regions that commonly utilize headlocks
show the highest milk production. Granted, this is not a
simple cause and effect relationship and there are many
other reasons this may occur. But, when you ask producers
in these high producing regions about managing their dairy
without headlocks you hear responses like “how would I
breed my cows?”, “where would we preg check cows?”, or
“I can’t imagine managing 1000 cows without headlocks”.
Dr. Roger Palmer, a dairy management specialist and
Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
wrote a paper describing some of the considerations when
implementing headlocks in a dairy operation1. One point
discussed in this paper is labor considerations. When one
stops and thinks about how many times a cow must be
handled during a lactation, the number becomes quite large.
Dr. Palmer breaks these out according to common dairy
practices and estimates that cows must be handled 51 times
during a complete lactation cycle (not including anything for
heat detection such as chalk or Kmar’s etc.). For a 1000-cow
dairy that equals 51,000 cow handlings’ in 13.5 months
(calving interval). If headlocks save only 1 minute per
handling it’s a savings of 850 hours of labor or about $6800
per calving interval. In addition to labor efficiency, Dr. Palmer
lists several other advantages of headlocks including:
• Less traumatic handling of cows since they are in
familiar surroundings
• Cows eat their proper ration while being handled
• Minimized risk of mixing cows into the wrong group
ABS Global
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1525 River Road
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DeForest, WI USA 53532
CHART 2 - COMPONENTS AND SCC
25
19.6
Value
20
15.8
15
■ Locked
■ Unlocked
10
5
3.67
3.68
3.19
3.27
0
Milk Fat,%
Milk Protein, %
SCC (10,000/ml)
Parameter
Shipka and Arave3 also reported that cows restrained for 4
hours in headlocks did not differ in milk production or dry
matter intake compared to animals not locked up. Arave
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and co-workers4 did a study that showed similar intakes
between the two groups, but a difference in milk production. In this study milk decreased 6.4 lb/day when cows
were restrained for 4 hours during the day in summer. Long
periods of lock up in the summer seem to be detrimental to
milk production, more likely due to water restriction and
heat stress than due to reduced dry matter intake.
All of the above studies locked up cows in headlocks for 4
consecutive hours. Rarely are cows locked for 4 consecutive
hours and if it occurs it is most likely due to human error
rather than a standard operating procedure of the dairy. Rarely
should cows need to be locked longer than 1 to 1.5 hours.
may find a 10% or more increase in the heat detection rate
(HDR). The HDR is a driving factor in getting cows pregnant.
Chart 3 illustrates what a 10% increase in HDR will do with
200 open cows entering the breeding pens. Note that by
the end of the 5th cycle a 10% increase in HDR will result
in 17 more pregnant cows out of our 200 cows (111-94).
When you consider the value of a pregnancy and the cost of
days open, a 10% increase in HDR results in real economic
gain. It would not take long to pay for headlocks with a
10% increase in HDR. We frequently see 20% or more
increases in HDR with RMS!
CHART 3
120
Sloping of headlocks away from the animal 10-15 degrees
(4-6 inches) is frequently seen on many newer freestall
installations. This is done to allow animals better access
to the feed. However, as Brouk et. al.5 points out, pushing
feed up more frequently could achieve the same affect as
the sloping, which may be a hazard to passing machinery.
■ Proposed ■ Current
Pregnant Cows
100
111
96
94
80
77
80
64
60
40
56
30
45
24
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
Cycle Number
Although its best from a labor standpoint if headlocks are
put throughout the entire dairy, they are not required on all
pens. We are finding many dairies that will put headlocks
in their breeding pens and then move cows out of these
pens when they become pregnant.
The research available to date clearly suggests that, when
properly managed, headlocks will not hinder dry matter
intake or milk production. However, properly managed
does not mean overcrowding a pen by 30% as overcrowding
will reduce dry matter intakes with or without the presence
of headlocks.
As a leader in bovine genetics, ABS Global Inc. is committed
to herd improvement by providing the best genetics and
semen quality available today. In addition, we understand
the importance of getting pregnancies on commercial dairies.
Many commercial dairies do not progress genetically due to
the fact that they have a difficult time obtaining pregnancies.
ABS has been a leader in providing reproductive services
such as our Reproductive Management System® (RMS®)
that focus on getting cows pregnant. Because headlocks
make sense from a reproduction stand point, we recommend
their use. By using headlocks and a program like RMS, you
If you would like more information on how headlocks can
make your dairy more profitable please contact your local
ABS representative or contact the ABS Global Technical
Service Department.
References:
1. Palmer, R.W. 2001. Self-locking manger stall considerations.
Available on line at: http://www.genusxnet.com/tech_services/dairy_management/references/self_lock_w_logos.htm
2. Bolinger, D. J., J.L. Albright, J. Morrow-Tesch, S.J. Kenyon, M.D.
Cunningham. 1997. Restraint using self-locking stanchions. J. Dairy
Sci. 80:2411-2417
3. Shipka, M.P., C.W. Arave. 1995. Influence of extended manger lockup on cow behavior and production factors in dairy cattle management.
J. Anim. Scie. 73(Suppl. 1):310 (Abstr.)
4. Arave, C.W., D. Bolinger, M.P. Shipka, J.L. Albright. 1996. Effect of
extended lock-up of lactating cows on milk production, feed intake and
behavior. J.Anim. Sci. 74(Suppl. 1):43. (Abstr.)
5. Brouk, M.J., J.F. Smith, J.P. Harner. 2001. Facility and climate effects
on dry matter intake of dairy cattle. Proceedings of the 5th Western
Dairy Management Conference, Las Vegas, NV. April 4-6
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ABS Global
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1525 River Road
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DeForest, WI USA 53532
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608-846-3721
•
Fax: 608-846-6434
•
www.absglobal.com