Intra-rater reliability among postural and gait abnormalities detected using locomotion scoring with observations in milking parlor and headlock stanchions

Abstract

Dairy cow lameness is an important health issue, with a negative impact in animal welfare and productivity. Lameness has been assessed using a locomotion scoring (LS) system based on behaviors and postures related to gait. However, LS evaluation is a time consuming task that is not routinely performed on large dairies. Implementation of methods for early lameness detection that are easily incorporated into management could increase the rate of detection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the intra-rater reliability among postural and gait abnormalities detected using locomotion scoring with observations in milking parlor (MP) and headlock stanchions (S).