Animal welfare is one of the most important pillars that acquires greater relevance in all livestock.
The implementation of animal welfare protocols will allow livestock to improve the housing practices, infrastructure, management, nutrition and stresswhich will obtain better reproductive and productive indices, according to an article published in the magazine of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the Francisco de Paula Santander University.
There it is indicated that the purpose of implementing animal welfare protocols in a system is based on providing the animal with quality and avoiding economic losses due to inadequate management in the breeding stage for the benefit.
Improving animal welfare can lead to safer and better quality feed and therefore increase the competitiveness of products in the industry.
The investigation carried out allowed us to know more about the benefits that applying animal welfare brings to producers and consumers in farms, chains or companies. (Read: Aspects to consider to have good reproduction parameters)
The importance of animal welfare in the bovine production system is a factor that must be implemented in all livestock, during their rearing, transport and slaughter phasesthese good practices provide a vital utility to cattle, with better productive and reproductive indices, low levels of stress which benefits producers and consumers.
The adoption of good animal welfare practices according to measurable indicators in animal production systems, transport and facilities will contribute to better meat quality.
The economic benefits in productivity and profitability increase when good practices are ensured, good treatment of animals determines their comfortable state and high productivity.
Reproductive management is one of the factors that most influence productivity, reproducibility and economic efficiency of production systems, both for meat and milk herds. Various techniques have been used in biotechnology to maximize reproductive performance in cattle, but to achieve higher success rates, they must be combined with a range of good animal welfare practices.
Feeding. The misuse that can be given to feeding in bovines can cause stress in the animals due to the changes that occur in their metabolism and at the same time changes in their hormones and muscle activity; As a consequence, the characteristics of the meat change, as well as its tenderness. (Read: Genetic improvement and reproduction, two aspects that go hand in hand)
Feeders and water. Feeding behavior includes food and water and rumination behavior. Feed consumption is one of the most influential factors in bovine production and one of the main objectives of farms. For animals, a supply of fresh, clean and quality water is essential.
Accommodation. Regarding the accommodation of bovines, it has always been sought for the farmer to ensure their well-being through the place where the animals are going to be kept on the farm and that this is the optimum for the integral development of each animal since a product with good conditions is more desirable in the market and with a higher commercial value.
Genetic Factor. It is important that the animals are genetically more adapted to the environment and if they are specialized in production, give them the greatest comfort so that their genetics can express themselves. A nervous animal presents lower daily weight gain, lower milk production, loss of heat, decreased maternal ability, among others.
The importance of sleep, rest and rumination. The greatest rumination period is shortly after dark, and this activity gradually decreases; the rest distributed during the day. Pain and stress decrease rumination and the animal invests 5 to 9 hours a day for rumination. Cattle rest is important because reducing bedding time can affect both production and welfare. In an environment where the animal is comfortable and acclimated, a period of rest and sleep allows for metabolic recovery and conservation of body energy.
healthy legs When the cow suffers pain, it eats less, chews the cud less, lies down for less time, therefore, its production suffers.
ticks. Hemoparasites such as babesia, anaplasmas present significant symptoms accompanied by fever, anorexia, malnutrition, suppression of heat in females that can lead to mortality in animals.