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Change in Adrenal Response from Free Stall Competition

Department of Dairy Science, Virginia Polytechnic Insitute and State University, Blacksburg 24061

ABSTRACT

Lactating Holsteins were monitored for differences in adrenal glucocorticoid response to exogenous adrenocorticotropin as a physiological indicator of stress due to reduced numbers of available free stalls. Twenty cows were blocked by production and randomly assigned to either a control group or were exposed to .75, .63, .5, or .37 free stalls per cow for 7 days after which they were tested for adrenal response to adrenocorticotropin. The latter 16 cows formed the experimental group and were housed in a facility with 4.5 m² concrete lot and .38 m feed bunk per cow. Four experimental cows and one random control were test for adrenal response at the end of each treatment. Time spent lying or standing in free stalls and time eating were summarized from time lapse photography at intervals of 1 min. Average time cows spent in free stalls (h) and percentage of total time stalls were occupied were 13.9, 89%; 12.8, 96%; 10.4, 99%; 8.0, 99%; for .75, .63, .5, and .37 free stalls per cow. Means and standard deviations of the integrated glucocorticoid responses for experimental treatments were 118 ± 27, 123 ± 22, 172 ± 57, and 169 ± 35 ng/ml. Glucocorticoid response of control cows, 1 stall and 15 m² of lot space/cow, was 130 52 ng/ml. The glucocorticoid response in cows with reduced stall numbers was indicative of stress; however, milk production was not affected.

¹ Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843.

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