Facilities and housing, husbandry, and health management practices on Quebec dairy farms: A retrospective descriptive study

ABSTRACT: The objective of this retrospective descriptive study was to characterize housing and herd management practices of Quebec dairy farms. Pre-existent survey data (housing, husbandry, and herd health; 36 questions) collected in person by Lactanet technicians (n = 116; March 2020 to February 2021) from 1,965 herds were used. Results were segregated by facility type (freestall [FS] vs. tiestall herds [TS]) and summarized using descriptive statistics. The average herd size was 76 ± 56 cows, with 65 ± 47 milking cows, peaking at 40 ± 5 kg/d, with most herds housed their milking cows in TS facilities (80%). Of the FS herds (20%), 36% transitioned from TS after 2016. Based on the Canadian Code of Practice and peer-reviewed literature, management strengths included frequent bedding in TS, feed reduction before dry-off (>59% FS; >75% TS), routine hoof trimming (≥2×/yr in >80%), and adequate lighting (>85% maintained >200 lx for 14–17 h/d). Areas needed improvement included the adoption of secondary ventilation systems (observed in <45% FS and <20% TS), implementation of targeted dry-off protocols (>80% of herds applied a single dry-off protocol, regardless of milk yield) and greater adoption of teat sealant use (45% reported using intramammary antibiotics without teat sealants). Deep-bedded lying surfaces were uncommon (30% of far-off and lactating groups in FS; <20% of dry and lactating groups in TS). In FS herds, horizontal bars were most frequent in lactating groups (40%). In TS herds, 58% of herds calved cows in tiestalls and >80% lacked pasture or exercise pens access. Regarding hoof health, footbaths and sprays were largely absent in TS herds (90%), whereas FS herds more often used footbaths, especially for lactating cows (70%). These findings establish benchmarks for Quebec dairy herds, highlighting well-adopted practices and identifying opportunities to increase the uptake of specific management practices across the province to further enhance herd health and welfare.