Animal welfare has a very important significance for breeders and is gaining attention from consumers. The aim of the master thesis was to evaluate the welfare of dairy cows in different housing systems, using the data on the welfare of dairy cows in 20 herds inhabited in free barn with cubicles (reference farms) and comparing welfare parameters with dairy cows settled in 20 compost barns (without cubicles - case farms). Collection of welfare quality indicators was conducted in winter 2017/2018 on 40 farms in 6 countries under the EraNet SusAn FreeWalk project. Dairy cows in compost stables were dirtier than cows in reference stables. However, they had fewer integument alterations throughout the body: hairless patches lesions and swelling than animals in the reference stables. Regarding the occurrence of lameness, there were no differences between both systems. Compost stables have a larger lying surface, which allows cows to have longer and more comfortable rest periods and less difficulty in standing or lying. In this thesis, we also present the results of the welfare quality results for dairy cows on the Slovenian reference farm with cubicles and case farms with compost barns compared to other reference or case farms in Europe. We have found that Slovene farms need to give more emphasis to the choice of suitable bedding material, professional hoof trimming, and the dimensions of cubicles. In order to achieve the best production results and the quality of dairy cows' well-being, it would be necessary to combine several different systems, while increasing the attention to the bedding and size of cubicles for dairy cows.
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