An evaluation of hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cattle in Canada
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This thesis is an investigation of the prevalence of, and factors associated with, hock, knee, and neck injuries on dairy cattle in Canada. Tie-stall (n = 100) and free-stall farms (n = 90) were visited in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta, Canada. Cows were scored for hock (tarsus), knee (carpus), and neck injuries on a 3 or 4-point scale combining the attributes of hair loss, broken skin, and swelling. Animal-based and environmental measures were taken which were hypothesized to be risk factors for injury. On tie-stall farms the mean herd-level prevalence of hock, knee, and neck injuries was 56, 43, and 30%, respectively. On free-stall farms the mean herd-level prevalence of hock, knee, and neck injuries was 47, 24, and 9%, respectively. Having sand stall bases, feed rail heights above 140 cm and managing cows to reduce slips and falls were associated with reduced injury prevalence.