Effect of Climatic Conditions on Differences in Thermo-Technical Properties of Organic Bedding in Laboratory Testing

Abstract

The aim of this experiment was to analyse the influence of climatic factors on the thermal performance of separated liquid manure. The samples of organic bedding were collected from the lying area of dairy housing and preparatory store. The measurement of properties of recycled manure solids (RMS) was carried out in laboratory conditions. Samples were examined with determining the temperature effect on the thermal conductivity λ of 'dry' separated liquid manure (with a dry matter content of 60%) and 'wet' liquid manure (with a dry matter content of 26%), in air temperatures ranging from 0 °C to 40 °C. Subsequently, the thermal resistance of three selected types of cows lying structures was calculated for winter and summer boundary values. Based on the results of thermal conductivity and thermal resistance, it was observed that dry separated liquid manure as an alternative bedding has, in low temperature (up to 5 °C), the most suitable thermal performance if it is maintained in a dry condition (with a dry matter content of 60%). With increasing temperature (above 20 °C) and increasing humidity of bedding (below 26%), thermo-technical properties get worse; however, when comparing the thermal resistance of the cow bed structure with sandwich mattresses with a 50 mm layer of organic bedding and the deep cubicle filled with 200 mm of organic bedding, the thermal resistance of floor structure decreases by 7.6% or 18.4%, respectively. With a proper handling of the recycled organic bedding, it is possible to use its economic advantages.

Impact of Heat Stress on Selected Parameters of Robotic Milking

“…It is a very important indicator of the quality of the barn environment. It does combine the effect of the air temperature and the relative humidity [ 9 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The THI model does not take into account other environmental factors, such as the air velocity or the solar radiation intensity; the THI is still considered to be an excellent indicator of stressful climatic conditions [ 9 , 14 ].…”

Verification of Thermo-Technical Characteristics of Selected Floor Constructions for Dairy Cows (Pilot Study)

“…It involves the heat flow from the skin down a thermal gradient to a surface that has a lower temperature in summer (Ortiz et al, 2014). When a cow lies on water mattress, mattress surface temperature is cooler than the cow's skin, which allows transfer the heat from the body into the water inside the mattress (Lendelová et al, 2017). In practice, water mattress surface temperature provides a cooler lying surface before the cow lies on it.…”

“…There is a wide range of possibilities for dairy housing (Kull et al, 2017). The dairy cattle spend most of the time lying and the surface on which they lie has already been described by multiple researchers (Tucker et al, 2003;Lendelová et al, 2009;Kull et al, 2017) as affecting the dairy cows in several ways. Cattle at dairy usually lie on straw; sawdust; sand; mattresses filled with recycled material; mattresses filled with rubber; and water mattresses.…”

Effects of surface materials of self-draining beds on cattle behavior in a temperate climate

“…The difference in lying preference in Experiments 1 and 2 indicated that the lying CI of WSs is greater than that of sand in a temperate climate and this is consistent with previous studies [ 22 ]. The difference in thermal conductivity between sand and wood shavings may affect thermal comfort during lying and hence usage of the lying area [ 23 , 24 ]. In addition, WSs may have a greater bearing capacity for cattle’s feet and body weight than sand.…”