Hock Injuries in Freestall Housed Dairy Cows

......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface........................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ......................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures............................................................................................................................. viii List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................x Chapter 1: Introduction ...............................................................................................................1 1.1 Linking freestall barn design and management with animal welfare ................................ 3 1.1.1 Freestall design ........................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1.1 Lying surface ....................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1.2 Stall hardware/dimensions ................................................................................... 5 1.1.2 Cow comfort assessment............................................................................................. 6 1.2 Skin lesions ........................................................................................................................ 9 1.2.1 Hock injuries: prevalence, etiology and pathogenesis. ............................................... 9 1.2.2 Risk factors ............................................................................................................... 12 1.2.3 Hock scoring assessment .......................................................................................... 13 1.3 Thesis objectives.............................................................................................................. 15 Chapter 2: Hock injuries in freestall housed dairy cows in Northeastern US and California ........................................................................................................................................................18