Bed Temperature in Compost Barns Turned With Rotary Hoe and Offset Disc Harrow

Abstract

The success of confinement for dairy cattle in the compost barn model depends mainly on the management of the bed and consists of its turning. This paper characterises the spatial variability of the bed temperature in the compost barn confinement model, as well as verifying whether there was an effect on efficiency from turning the bed with different agricultural implements. The experiment was conducted during the summer and winter of 2016, with 8 days of collection in each period. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics methods and geostatistical modelling with semivariograms and kriging maps. The results of the t-test at a5% significance level indicated that, after turning the bed with the plough or rotary hoe, the temperature values were significantly lower. There was an efficient on bed turning based on different agricultural implements. Spatial dependence was observed on the data, with a better adjustment given by a Gaussian model. Kriging maps allowed the characterization of the spatial variability of bed temperature and the visualization across the compost barn bed at the superficial layer and 0.15 m in depth.

Carnauba (copernicia prunifera) straw as an alternative bedding material for dairy cows housed in a Compost barn system

“…In the current study, the constructive aspect of the barn also contributed to the heating of the bed at borders of the rest area. Similar findings were reported by Mota et al, 2019. The dimensioning of the eaves allowed the direct entry of solar radiation more intensely during morning shift, this result which may explain BST coefficients of variation values (CV >15%).…”

“…However, as it is a process in which the bedding composes a material that undergoes partial composting (Russelle et al, 2009), reaching optimum temperatures becomes a challenge for milk producers. Following this fact, research using Compost barn in Brazil, including the present work, reported systems in which the ideal temperature range was not reached (Mota et al, 2019;Piovesan and Oliveira, 2020).…”

“…The geostatistical analysis allowed to characterize the distribution of surface temperature throughout the entire barn, as well as the impact on animal comfort, providing an understanding of the influence of climatic variations and the frequency of bed replacement under thermal aspects. Therefore, this proved to be an efficient technique for analyzing the variability of the thermal conditions of bedding in Compost barn systems (Mota et al, 2019;Peixoto et al, 2019;Silva et al, 2020). The BST spatial distribution maps can be seen in Figs 2, 3.…”

Aplicação da Geoestatística para estimar a distribuição espacial da temperatura em baias de equinos

“…Analisar e estudar a variabilidade espacial do microclima das baias para equinos é essencial para corrigir falhas na estrutura física e para controlar as condições de bem-estar e saúde do animal (FARIA et al, 2008;SILVA et al, 2012, MOTA et al, 2019. Diante do exposto, o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a distribuição espacial da temperatura do ar no interior de baías de equinos, de uma propriedade rural do município de Ji-Paraná/RO, bem como utilizar a modelagem geoestatística para mapear e analisar se a estrutura fornece conforto e bem-estar aos animais.…”