Applied Animal Behaviour Science 89 (2004) 1–16 Behaviour and claw health in tied dairy cows with varying access to exercise in an outdoor paddock

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of different access to an exercise area on behaviour, time to lie down, claw conformation, claw lesions and milk production. The study was carried out on an organic dairy farm with 52 tied cows. The cows were randomly assigned to one of four treatments, with 13 cows in each group, and matched according to lactation number, milk production and whether or not they were de-horned. The treatments were: exercise every day (E7), exercise two days per week (E2), exercise one day per week (E1) or no exercise (NoE). Exercised cows were brought to one of two outdoor paddocks for 1 h. Observations of behaviour were made using one-zero sampling during the 1 h exercise, twice per month and treatment, during the six months of winter housing (780 min per group in total). Treatment NoE was observed in their stalls during the same time as the other treatments were exercised. The duration of the two phases of the lying down movement was recorded four times per cow. Claw traits were recorded at trimming at the beginning and the end of the six month study period. The farm measured the individual milk yield one day per month. There was an increase in the mean percentage of walking and trotting with decreasing access to exercise. Cows in the E1 and E2 treatment explored the environment more than cows in the E