Comparative Mortality and Morbidity Rates for Cattle on Slatted Floors and in Straw Yards

Abstract

The morbidity rate for fattening cattle in slatted floor houses was twice as great as that for their counterparts in traditional straw yards. Eye and skin diseases were more prevalent in slatted floor houses while clinical parasitism was more frequently recorded in cattle in straw yards. Lameness was the most frequently recorded disease in both husbandry systems. This disease was much more prevalent and more severe in cattle on slats. The number of lame animals increased when trough space was limited and when the non-slatted area in slatted houses was extensive. Morbidity and mortality rate may be useful in monitoring the welfare of animals in different husbandry systems.