Orsel, KarinMorabito, Emily Ann2017-06-092017-06-0920172017Morabito, E. A. (2017). Quantitative and Qualitative Assessment of Cow Comfort After Facility Changes on Dairy Farms (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27504http://hdl.handle.net/11023/3874A cow comfort assessment was conducted on 60 Holstein-Friesian cows per farm on three categories of farms: 15 that changed the freestall area (CHANGE) after a previous assessment; 15 that did not change the freestall area (NOCHANGE) after a previous assessment; and 14 that were never evaluated (NEW). The CHANGE group had decreased lameness prevalence and increased lying time compared to the NOCHANGE group, the NEW group, and data from previous cow comfort assessments. Additionally, farmers in CHANGE and NOCHANGE groups more frequently identified the importance of risk factors associated with cow comfort than in their previous assessment. In conclusion, the CHANGE group improved in outcome measures of cow comfort, and farms in both CHANGE and NOCHANGE groups became more aware of risk factors regarding cow comfort than during a previous assessment.engUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.Veterinary ScienceDairyCow ComfortAnimal Welfaremaster thesis10.11575/PRISM/27504