Journal article
Blood parameters of young calves at abattoirs are related to distance transported and farm of origin
N Roadknight, P Mansell, E Jongman, N Courtman, D McGill, G Hepworth, A Fisher
Journal of Dairy Science | ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC | Published : 2021
Abstract
Nonreplacement dairy calves, or bobby calves, are fasted and transported to abattoirs from as young as 5 d of age in Australia. The aims of this cross-sectional observational study were (1) to assess the welfare status, as measured by blood parameters, of bobby calves in the commercial supply chain after transport and lairage, and (2) to assess whether distance and duration of transport are risk factors for poor bobby calf welfare, as measured by blood parameters. We hypothesized that bobby calves transported greater distances would be more likely to show evidence of compromised welfare, as measured by blood indicators of hydration, energy status, and muscle fatigue or damage. We also hypoth..
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Funding Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully thank the staff at all participating abattoirs for allowing the use of their animals and access to facilities. We appreciate the generous assistance of our associates at the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, who provided us with data on the duration of calf lairage and transport. We also warmly acknowledge our colleagues who helped with sample collection and processing: Laura Field, Pablo Alvarez, and Andrew Carlyon, from the Animal Welfare Science Centre at the University of Melbourne; and Fiona Armour, Daniel Pilbeam, Debra Kirkham, and Amanda Hall from UVet Clinical Pathology Laboratory at the University of Melbourne. Thanks also to Andrew Woodward (Melbourne Veterinary School, University of Melbourne) for advice on statistical calculations and methods, and for providing the R source code for the bootstrapping methods used in this paper. We also acknowledge the contribution of 2 anonymous reviewers, whose comments on earlier drafts of this manuscript helped to improve the quality of the final draft. This work was supported by Meat and Livestock Australia, Lactalis Australia, an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship, and a Meat and Livestock Australia Postgraduate Scholarship/Study Award. The authors have not stated any conflicts of interest.