The compost bedded pack dairy barn is an alternative housing system for lactating cows that has received increased attention in the last 2 yr. No descriptive data were available about this housing system. Therefore, a study of 12 compost dairy barns in Minnesota was conducted between late June 2005 and September 2005. The objectives of this study were to describe the housing system, identify management practices used in these herds, observe cow welfare, analyze herd performance and udder health prior to and following the change in housing system, and measure producer satisfaction with the system. Producers were interviewed on various aspects related to the housing system and herd management, samples of milk were collected, and cows were scored for locomotion, body condition, hygiene, and hock lesions. In addition, historical bulk tank information and Dairy Herd Improvement Association data were collected when available. At the time of the visit, the Dairy Herd Improvement Association somatic cell count (SCC) was 325,000 +/- 172,000 cells/mL, rolling herd average was 10,457 +/- 1,138 kg per cow, and herd size was 73 +/- 35.5 lactating cows. The body condition score was 3.04 +/- 0.11, the cow hygiene score was 2.66 +/- 0.19, and 7.8% of all cows were clinically lame (locomotion score > or = 3 on a 1 to 5 scale). No hock lesions were present on 74.9% of the cows; 24.1% of cows had a mild lesion (hair loss), and 1.0% had a severe lesion (swollen hock). Historical analysis of the bulk tank SCC showed that 3 out of the 7 herds analyzed had a significant reduction in bulk tank SCC when compared with the previous housing system. Mastitis infection rates decreased significantly by 12% on 6 of the 9 farms analyzed. Reproductive performance significantly improved for 4 out of the 7 herds analyzed, with 25.9 and 34.5% improvement in heat detection rates and pregnancy rates, respectively. The main reasons producers reported for building this type of housing system were for improved cow comfort, cow health and longevity, and ease of completing daily chores. The largest concern was the cost and availability of bedding, especially as additional compost barns are built. Overall, all producers were satisfied with their decision to build a compost barn.

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The objectives of this study were to measure lying behavior and social interactions of lactating cows housed in an alternative bedded-pack system, commonly referred to as a compost dairy barn, and to investigate the association between the temperature-humidity index and lying behavior of these cows. The study was conducted in 12 compost dairy barns in Minnesota between late June 2005 and September 2005. Lying, standing, and walking behavior of 147 focal cows was measured by automatic activity monitors. The daily lying time was 9.34 +/- 1.94 h. The number of daily lying bouts was 11.0 +/- 3.2 and the lying bout length was 50.8 +/- 35.6 min. As days in milk increased, the total number of lying bouts increased, corresponding to an increase in total daily lying time. Cows in the compost barns lay down for less time, took more steps, and reduced the length of lying bouts as the temperature-humidity index increased. Social interactions and lying positions of all cows in the bedded-pack area (total of 886 cows in the 12 dairies) were recorded using visual observations during two 4-h periods on 2 separate days. A total of 43.3% of the cows were lying down at any time. All 4 natural lying positions (head back, head up, flat on the side, and head on the ground) were observed in 9 of the bedded packs during the direct visual observation periods. The majority (84.6%) of the cows observed lying down assumed the head-up position. Of all observed lying events, the head-back lying position was assumed 8.8% of the time, the head on the ground 5.4% of the time, and flat on the side 0.8% of the time. Observations of social interactions on the bedded-pack area showed that 0.94 +/- 1.5 incidents of chasing away, 0.94 +/- 1.8 of pushing, 1.4 +/- 1.6 of head butting, and 2.3 +/- 2.9 of allogrooming (social licking) occurred per hour. Observations of lying behavior, social interactions, and natural lying positions indicated that compost dairy barns can be an adequate housing system for dairy cows.

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