Evaluation of the signals of the comfort of keeping dairy cows in the conditions of an industrial dairy complex

Our three-month research and production study aimed to evaluate the manifestation of signals of the comfort of keeping lactating cows under untethered industrial technology. Ethological assessment was performed on a herd of cows of the newly created Ukrainian red dairy breed (n = 3099) with an average productivity of 6,200 kg of milk per standard lactation). The evaluation was performed visually at a fixed time between the first and second milking, with the following behavioral signs or signals determined: the number of cows resting, standing in the aisle or stall, and eating or drinking during observation. The generalized results showed that only 36.44 % of cows rested in a comfortable lying position (from 27.58 to 63.23 % in different months), 2 times less than the recommended indicators of comfort of keeping. 22.38 % of cows that ate or drank in the interval between milkings, and 27.89 % of those that did not rest but stood in aisles or stalls. It is worth noting that some of the cows that did not rest lying down in an individual stall but stood in it in an unnatural position with a decision – upper limbs above the rear ones, which remained in the passage, was a signal of the cows' discomfort with the equipment or the structure of the box and the unwillingness of the cow in stay in it The results of our research, in contrast to literature data, showed a reliable influence of observing the order and mode of distribution of feed mixture on the behavior of cows in the time between milkings. Further studies of the ethological indicators of dairy cows in the conditions of industrial technologies of maintenance and operation can provide an opportunity to improve their welfare and obtain more milk with high quality milk.