CowSignals: Helping farmers unlock better productivity

Reducing everyday environmental stresses in cows improves farm productivity, keeps cows happy and boosts profitability.

Insufficient airflow and inadequate housing can often be a hidden factor limiting milk yield while affecting the health of livestock.

In this blog, animal welfare specialist Chloe Rodriguez, a CowSignals licensed master, shares how livestock sheds can significantly impact farm performance.

About CowSignals

CowSignals is an independent training organisation which focuses on health, welfare and sustainability to improve cows’ lifespans and keep farmers and cows happy.

Since it takes two full lactations to recoup the cost of rearing a cow, increasing her productive lifespan can make a huge difference to finances, as older cows typically produce more milk.

Whilst in the Netherlands, Chloe completed a course with CowSignals to become a master trainer. She now applies the techniques she learned during her on-farm advisory visits.

“Cow behaviour and condition can tell us a lot about how they are coping in their environments and gives you a bigger picture beyond the numbers,” Chloe says.

“The idea is simple, cows that are content and healthier, live longer and produce more milk.”

Chloe says the three pillars behind CowSignals are:

• Cow observation – where the course trains you to look at the cow first and then the farm data after observations are made
• Six essential needs of the cow – emphasis on the six key freedoms cows must have access to including feed, water, light, air, rest and space
• On-farm changes – application of straightforward improvements on to farms to improve identified problems

“The training has meant I can now make informed decisions for farmers on their livestock housing; with the goal of improving efficiencies and animal welfare,” Chloe adds.

“When you’re the farmer working with the cows every day, these are the details that can be missed, but with a fresh set of eyes, we can pick up on these hidden problems.”

Applying CowSignals to on-farm advisory visits

What cow behaviour tells us

When Chloe observes livestock, she looks for specific behaviours to assess their overall wellbeing.

“The most productive cows rest for 14 hours a day, including 10 hours rumination and have 14 meals a day – rumination and rest are key to keeping the milk tank full,” she adds.

Chloe’s quick CowSignals guide of behaviours to look out for:

• Lying down and rising again – this could indicate possible poor bedding and cows could be struggling to regulate their internal body temperature
• Time spent feeding and leftover feed – could indicate poor-quality feed or access issues
• Poorly filled rumen – could be signs of discomfort, illness or improper feeding
• Restlessness and panting – particularly during warmer months, could be due to poor shed ventilation and could be signs of heat stress
• Posture – a relaxed cow signals good health, while tense posture indicates potential illness

After making observations, Chloe can start to connect cow behaviour with building design – often the missing piece in supporting herd health.

She explains: “If cows are bunched together in the darker areas of the shed, it could be because too much sunlight is coming through the skylight, making that spot too warm for them – they might be experiencing heat stress.”

What cow condition tells us

Alongside observing cow behaviour, Chloe says looking closely at the condition of the cow is vital.

“Body condition score (BCS) assessment is a great way of keeping track of each cow individually, it is usually the first indicator something is wrong as BCS can change throughout each lactation stage,” she says.

“A BCS that is too low means the cow might be struggling with nutrition and not have enough energy to produce milk or whilst they are in calf, affecting milk yields and fertility”.

Chloe says other signals she looks out for are cow mobility, hygiene and condition, udder health, hair coat quality, and hydration status.

“By monitoring multiple signals on an individual level, we can identify early signs of discomfort and then intervene quickly to help fix them,” she says.

Why housing matters

Housing plays a large part in overall herd health.

“After evaluating cow behaviour and condition, the environment is crucial for maintaining herd health,” she says.

“If buildings are sub-optimal, you’ll always be firefighting against prevalent diseases, so prevention is key.”

Chloe’s four quick tips for livestock housing:

1. Good ventilation – reduces pathogens and moisture, ensuring clean air, natural airflow or Positive Pressure Tube Ventilation (PPTV) can be used. Carefully designed outlets and inlets can bring in fresh air without creating draughts.
2. Dry sheds – keeping the environment dry and temperature-controlled by using heaters and side curtains to control moisture.
3. Clean sheds – deep clean sheds and feeding equipment regularly reduces bacterial load.
4. Good shed design – roof slopes of 17 – 22 degrees with fibre cement to reduce moisture.

Chloe says: “These factors can disrupt cow health and yields: sometimes, the solutions are quick fixes, and we can customise an action plan for your current or new sheds through our advisory service.

“The ultimate aim is to have a happy farmer, healthy cows and milk staying in the tank.”

Get in touch

Contact Chloe at crodriguez@galebreaker.com for personalised advice on improving your livestock housing and ventilation solutions or to find out more about her services.