Welfare in Swiss dairy heifers: Comparative assessment of skin lesions in 2 housing systems

[Display omitted] •Heifers have few skin lesions in mountain and lowland farms.•Skin lesions in dairy cows should be addressed on dairy farms.•Heifers can handle harsh mountain terrain well.•Alpine pasturing is not associated with lower welfare. During summer, dairy heifers are often managed extensively in Switzerland. This applies to 2 different types of husbandry systems across the country (i.e., to heifers on alpine transhumance pastures and to heifers on pastures belonging to a year-round lowland farm). In contrast to heifers, dairy cows are more intensively farmed and spend more time in confinement. The prevalence of skin lesions (e.g., hock injuries) in dairy cows is high. The aim of this study was to record the prevalence of skin lesions in heifers and to possibly determine the time of occurrence of these lesions. To this end, heifers from both husbandry systems (alpine pastures vs. year-round lowland farm pastures) were inspected both visually and through palpation, and findings were compared. Inspection took place in the fall (i.e., at the end of the alpine pasturing season before descent to the lowlands). Of the 480 heifers included on a total of 28 farms, skin lesions were found in 13.1% of individuals. Skin lesions commonly associated with barn design (e.g., injuries on the dewlap or hock injuries) and skin lesions on the pelvis were most frequently detected, equally distributed among husbandry systems. In conclusion, the prevalence of skin lesions among Swiss dairy heifers appears to be lower compared with dairy cows, at least as measured in the fall before heifers transition to the main dairy herd. Accordingly, deploying measures to reduce skin lesions is more efficient on dairy farms than in heifer raising systems.