A survey of stockperson attitudes and youngstock management practices on Australian dairy farms

Abstract

Context The attitudes of stockpeople towards their animals directly affects the human–animal relationship, in turn affecting stockperson behaviour and animal welfare and productivity. Little is known about the attitudes of Australian stockpeople towards dairy youngstock under their care. Aims We aimed to explore Australian stockperson attitudes and management practices associated with calf management and reported replacement heifer outcomes. Methods A convenience sample surveying 91 Australian dairy stockpeople was used to explore common calf-rearing practices, as well as attitudes of stockpeople towards youngstock and current issues in youngstock welfare and management on Australian dairy farms. Key results Management of both replacement and non-replacement calves varied considerably by farm, and reported practices did not correlate with herd management or demographic data. Factor analysis identified nine principal components related to attitudes towards primiparous heifer and calf welfare and management practices. Variables calculated from these components rarely correlated with demographic factors; however, female respondents were more likely to have positive attitudes towards current issues in calf management (P = 0.013). Several correlations were found between the component variables. Participants who believed it was difficult to use higher-welfare practices to manage the herd were less likely to believe their trusted advisors valued these practices (P < 0.001), or believe these practices were important themselves (P < 0.001). These participants were more likely to believe that early lactation heifers were difficult to handle (P < 0.001), and less likely to believe that it was important to separate cows and calves for calf health (P = 0.006). Respondents who believed that heifers were difficult to handle in early lactation were more likely to believe heifers on their farm were underperforming (P < 0.001). Conclusions Factors external to farm demographics appear to shape the attitudes of Australian stockpeople and on-farm dairy youngstock management decisions. Attitudes towards youngstock appear to be linked to on-farm cultures, particularly the perceived difficulty of performing tasks linked to good welfare outcomes, and the perceived value placed on these practices by trusted advisors. Implications The results indicate that further research using a more representative sample is needed to better understand those responsible for Australian dairy youngstock management and the key drivers behind their management choices, to best tailor approaches to encouraging implementation of best practice on-farm.