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The aim of this study was to evaluate whether housing conditions allowing the animals to lie in the mud and performmore physical exercise can negatively affect reserve mobilization and milk production. In addition, the effect of calvingdistance on blood metabolites was assessed. The experiment was conducted on twenty-eight lactating buffalo cows,equally allocated to two treatments. Fourteen cows were group-housed in a loose open-sided barn with a concrete floorand equipped with self-locking stanchions, where they received 10 m2/head of space allowance, as in intensive systems(Group IS). Fourteen others were group-housed in a similar barn but they also had the benefit of an outdoor yard with500 m2/head as space allowance, including spontaneous vegetation and potholes for bathing and wallowing, as in traditionalsystems (Group TS). Animals were included in the experimental groups 5 days after calving. Daily milk yield, andmilk fat, protein and somatic cell content were determined 4 weeks after grouping (about 35 days after calving) and thenat monthly intervals (5 recordings). Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein in vacuum tubes 10 days aftergrouping (i.e. 15 days after calving) and then at 10 day intervals (17 collections). After centrifugation, plasma and serumaliquots were frozen stored until metabolite determinations (glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, NEFA, urea, creatinine,albumins, total proteins, calcium, phosphorus, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, alanineaminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and γglutamyl transferase). Treatment did not affect daily milk yield and milkfat, protein or somatic cell count content. Blood metabolite levels were not affected by treatment and interaction treatmentx time. Conversely, as expected, calving distance had an influence on most of these variables (Pparticular, in the first two months after parturition, glucose concentration decreased, whereas NEFA and cholesterolincreased as a consequence of the high energetic requirements of animals in the first stage of lactation. The systems thatallow the expression of some basic natural behaviour did not have any detrimental effect on buffalo metabolism and production,thus they should be encouraged.

Welfare Quality® is the acronym of an European research project focussing on the integration of animal welfare in the food quality chain: from public concern to improved welfare and transparent quality. The project aims to accommodate societal concerns and market demands, to develop reliable on-farm monitoring systems, product information systems, and practical species-specific strategies to improve animal welfare. Forty-four institutes and universities, representing 20 countries participate in this integrated research project concerning 3 animal species (cattle, pigs and chicken). From 2007 dairy buffalo has been also included in the list. Welfare Quality® has been co-financed by the European Commission, within the 6th Framework Programme. In this paper the development of a monitoring system to assess buffalo welfare is described.

A study was carried out at an organic buffalo dairy farm in order to investigate the effect of feeding protein peas (Pisum sativum L.) as an alternative protein source for buffalo cow diets. Two concentrates were formulated to contain (as fed basis) either 350 g/kg of soybean cake (SC) or 450 g/kg of peas (PC) as the main protein sources. The two concentrates were formulated to be almost isonitrogenous (on average crude protein 240 g/kg DM). Two groups of 10 buffalo cows were used in a 100-day lactation study (from 10 days in milk onwards). Cows were blocked into two groups according to lactation number and previous milk yield and were assigned to one of two dietary treatments: control group was offered in the milking parlour 3 kg of SC, while treatment group was offered the same quantity of PC. All cows were fed a total mixed ration containing 3 kg of SC. Daily milk yield was not affected by treatment, as well as, milk fat and protein percentages, somatic cell count, urea content and fatty acid composition.

The feeding management, milk yield and milk composition were investigated in two adjacent buffalo farms, one organic certified (on average, 220 lactating buffalo cows) and one conventional (on average, 314 lactating buffalo cows) located in the Sele Plain (southern Italy). Milk samples from the two farm were collected twice a month during the period from June to November 2006. Milk production was also recorded. The investigated milk components were the content of protein, fat, lactose, urea and the number of somatic cells. The following features about the feeding management of lactating buffalo cows were recorded during monthly farm visits: feed used, herbage utilization, ration composition. Fat and protein correct milk yield was higher in conventional farm than in organic one, but milk components were similar between the farms. The greatest differences were found in the somatic cell count, lower in organic milk than in conventional one, and the urea content, which was higher in organic milk than in conventional farm, but still within the normal range reported for buffalo milk.

Twenty lactating buffalo cows, organically farmed, were used to examine the effects of including peas in total mixed ration. Two concentrates were formulated to contain, as the main protein sources, either 350 g/kg of soybean cake (CC) or 450 g/kg of peas (ExpC). Cows were blocked into two groups according to parity and previous milk yield and were assigned to one of two dietary treatments: one group was fed a diet with 6 kg/d of CC, whereas the treatment group was fed diet in which 3kg/d of CC were replaced by an equal quantity of ExpC. Digestibility of the diets and milk production of the cows were measured. The experimental period covered the whole lactation period. No differences were observed between groups for milk yield and composition, and for total tract apparent digestibility. The main hypothesis tested, that the replacement of soybean cake with peas in buffalo diet would not affect milk yield and composition, was confirmed. This suggested that the partial substitution of soybean cake with peas in diet for buffalo cows can be possible without affect performances.