A Study of Animal Welfare in Cows Under Different Livestock Farming Systems in Nagpur District
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijapm.2026.42.03.06Keywords:
Livestock Farming Systems, Animal WelfareAbstract
Study evaluated dairy cattle welfare across small, medium, and large Livestock Farming Systems (LFS) in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Using the Dairy Cattle Welfare Scale, we measured housing (Component A), feeding (Component B), and health/behavior (Component C). Large LFS achieved the highest total welfare score (58.682 ± 0.669 out of 100) compared to small (54.304 ± 1.177) and medium (53.918 ± 0.769) farms, largely driven by superior housing (13.455 ± 0.509) and feeding infrastructure (22.364 ± 0.277). Conversely, small LFS scored highest in animal health and behavior (24.348 ± 0.367), benefiting from closer individualized care. Regionally across ten tehsils, Mauda recorded the highest overall welfare score (63.000 ± 1.414) and best rank (2.000), while Parshivni excelled specifically in health indicators (26.500 ± 0.354). Despite these variations, the district's pooled total score was 55.128 ± 0.556 with a mean rank of 2.782 ± 0.042, classifying the overall welfare status as firmly "Average." Ultimately, while large commercial farms provide better physical resources, smaller systems excel in behavioral management.
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