Livestock has great economic importance for our country, with 11.6% share to the total GDP of Pakistan (GOP, 2015-2016). It plays a major role in poverty alleviation in rural area of the country. Buffalo is the major milk producing animal. The share of buffalo milk is 61% of the total milk produced in the country (GOP, 2015-16). Buffaloes are managed under traditional housing where these animals are kept tethered most of the time. The lying surface always remains wet with their urine and feces thereby compromising animal production potential and health. Freestall housing is a better housing option with the specific purpose of providing a comfortable place for dairy cattle to lie down while motivating defecation and urination in the alley outside of the freestall. This system of housing in buffalo can improve their performance and needs to be explored.The current trial was conducted at Dairy Animal Training and Research Center, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ravi Campus. The comparative freestall occupancy behavior of Nili Ravi buffaloes and Holstein pregnant heifers had been assessed. Thirty Nili Ravi (primiparous and multiparous) pregnant buffaloes and 30 Holstein pregnant heifers was introduced in a naturally ventilated shed having freestall. These animal were given free choice to sit in the sand bedded freestalls, in alleys with concrete floor or in open area with dirt for seven days and their stall occupancy behavior was observed.In second phase, animals restricted under covered area to forcibly (against one’s will) choose between sand bedded cubicles and concrete alley during night. The descriptive statistics was presented in %age of stall usage for every day till maximum stall filling. The logistic regression was used to compare the effect of parity, and weight on stall usage. Kaplan Meier survival curve was estimated to compare stall occupancy between parity.
When buffaloeswere given free choice to lie in freestall, or on concrete floor alleys or to lie on dirt floor in open area, they preferred to lie in open dirt area as compared to freestalls. When
Holstein heifers were given free choice, initially they preferred to lie in open dirt area but gradually the percentage of lying in freestalls increased. Similarly whenBuffaloes and Holstein heifers were restricted under covered area to forcibly choose between sand bedded cubicles and concrete alley during night, Holstein heifers started to lie in cubicles quickly as compared to buffaloes.Holstein heifers prefer to lie in freestalls when given free choice in comparison to buffaloes. Buffaloes having 4th and 3rd parity started to lie in cubicles earlier as compared to buffaloes having 2nd and 1stparty.This study could provide an important bench mark for freestall housing in buffaloes.










 
Livestock has great economic importance for our country, with 11.6% share to the total GDP of Pakistan (GOP, 2015-2016). It plays a major role in poverty alleviation in rural area of the country. Buffalo is the major milk producing animal. The share of buffalo milk is 61% of the total milk produced in the country (GOP, 2015-16). Buffaloes are managed under traditional housing where these animals are kept tethered most of the time. The lying surface always remains wet with their urine and feces thereby compromising animal production potential and health. Freestall housing is a better housing option with the specific purpose of providing a comfortable place for dairy cattle to lie down while motivating defecation and urination in the alley outside of the freestall. This system of housing in buffalo can improve their performance and needs to be explored.The current trial was conducted at Dairy Animal Training and Research Center, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Ravi Campus. The comparative freestall occupancy behavior of Nili Ravi buffaloes and Holstein pregnant heifers had been assessed. Thirty Nili Ravi (primiparous and multiparous) pregnant buffaloes and 30 Holstein pregnant heifers was introduced in a naturally ventilated shed having freestall. These animal were given free choice to sit in the sand bedded freestalls, in alleys with concrete floor or in open area with dirt for seven days and their stall occupancy behavior was observed.In second phase, animals restricted under covered area to forcibly (against one’s will) choose between sand bedded cubicles and concrete alley during night. The descriptive statistics was presented in %age of stall usage for every day till maximum stall filling. The logistic regression was used to compare the effect of parity, and weight on stall usage. Kaplan Meier survival curve was estimated to compare stall occupancy between parity.
When buffaloeswere given free choice to lie in freestall, or on concrete floor alleys or to lie on dirt floor in open area, they preferred to lie in open dirt area as compared to freestalls. When
Holstein heifers were given free choice, initially they preferred to lie in open dirt area but gradually the percentage of lying in freestalls increased. Similarly whenBuffaloes and Holstein heifers were restricted under covered area to forcibly choose between sand bedded cubicles and concrete alley during night, Holstein heifers started to lie in cubicles quickly as compared to buffaloes.Holstein heifers prefer to lie in freestalls when given free choice in comparison to buffaloes. Buffaloes having 4th and 3rd parity started to lie in cubicles earlier as compared to buffaloes having 2nd and 1stparty.This study could provide an important bench mark for freestall housing in buffaloes.