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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*
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: giderosa@unina.it

Abstract

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.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 2003 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

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