Effects of virtual fencing on behavior, cortisol concentrations, feed intake, and milk yield of lactating dairy cows in different grazing systems.

ABSTRACT: Virtual fencing system (VF) is suggested to optimize grazing management on dairy farms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the application of VF for lactating dairy cows in a daily or weekly rotational grazing system and its effect on behavior, cortisol concentrations, feed intake, and milk yield. A completely randomized block design with 64 lactating dairy cows was used with four treatments within a 2 × 2 factorial design. Treatments were: VF with weekly rotation to a new plot (VFW), VF with daily rotation to a new plot (VFD), physical electric fencing (EF) with weekly rotation to a new plot (EFW) and EF with daily rotation to a new plot (EFD). The cows were naïve to VF prior to the study. At night cows were housed indoors separately per treatment and a partial mixed ration was f

SUBMITTER: de Bruijn BGC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12629541 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature