Longitudinal Trends and Associations between Compost Bedding Characteristics and Bedding Bacterial Concentrations

Favero, S. M. del; Portilho, Fábio Vinícius Ramos; Oliveira, Ana C. R.; Langoni, Hélio; Pantoja, J.C.F.

doi:10.5539/jas.v7n10p58

Cited by 4 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 10 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…Corynebacterium bovis was the pathogen most frequently isolated from subclinical cases in 2 out of 3 CBP. In a further study, Fávero et al (2015b) found that pack OM and dry density were associated with the concentrations of total bacteria and coliforms. For all CBP included in the study, the concentration of streptococci increased with increasing pack C:N ratio and decreased with increasing pack dry density.…”

Section: Udder Health and Pack Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 83%

“…Leso (2015) estimated that 14.6 m 2 /cow is the optimal bedded area for CBP located in northern Italy. In a Brazilian study involving 3 CBP, the bedded area per cow ranged from 11 to 19 m 2 /cow (Fávero et al, 2015b). Owing to different climatic conditions, the recommended area per cow for CBP in Brazil is 10 and 12 m 2 /cow for the midwest and southeast regions of the country, respectively (F. A.…”

Section: Cpb Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Invited review: Compost-bedded pack barns for dairy cows

Leso

Barbari

Lopes

et al. 2020

Journal of Dairy Science

143

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Compost-bedded pack barns (CBP) are receiving increasing attention as a housing system for dairy cows that has potential to improve animal welfare. This article reviews current scientific knowledge about CBP with the aim of providing a comprehensive tool for producers and researchers using this housing system. In CBP, cows are provided with an open bedded pack area rather than the individual stalls and concrete alleys found in freestall systems. The bedded pack, a mixture of organic bedding and cattle excreta, is cultivated frequently (1-3 times per day) to incorporate fresh manure and air into the pack, thus promoting an aerobic composting process. To function well, CBP generally require a large area per cow. Optimal animal densities over the bedded area range from 7.4 to more than 15 m 2 /cow depending on several factors, including climate, bedding, pack management, and cow characteristics. Studies have indicated that CBP, compared with conventional systems such as freestall barns, have the potential to improve the welfare of dairy cows. In particular, the main reported benefits include improved comfort during resting, better foot and leg health, and more natural animal behavior. Research has also indicated that adequate udder health can be achieved in CBP. However, because the bedded pack has been shown to contain high bacterial concentrations, proper management is essential to maintain adequate cow cleanliness and reduce the risk of mastitis. Controlling pack moisture is consistently indicated as the most important issue with CBP. Especially under cold and humid weather conditions, large amounts of bedding may be necessary to keep the pack adequately dry and comfortable for the cows. Nevertheless, the improvements in cow health may offset the higher costs of bedding.

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Section: Udder Health and Pack Bacteriamentioning

confidence: 83%

Section: Cpb Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Invited review: Compost-bedded pack barns for dairy cows

Leso

Barbari

Lopes

et al. 2020

Journal of Dairy Science

143

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…It was interesting to observe that bedding moisture decreased dramatically on farm C after installation of fans over the bedding area (Favero et al, 2015). The bedding became dry and not adherent to cows, which remained in excellent hygienic conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…As a result of the bivariate analysis, we observed that the risk of environmental mastitis decreased progressively as bedding became older. This changes could be explained by some characteristics of new bedding material such as high moisture content, organic matter, and carbon-nitrogen ratio (Favero et al, 2015). Thus, the ideal time of bedding total replacement needs to be studied because it may influence the risk of mastitis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Factors associated with mastitis epidemiologic indexes, animal hygiene, and bulk milk bacterial concentrations in dairy herds housed on compost bedding

et al. 2015

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a b s t r a c tThe primary objective of this study was to identify compost bedding characteristics associated with mastitis epidemiologic indexes, cow cleanliness, and concentration of selected bacterial populations found in bulk tank milk. Secondary objectives were to monitor the occurrence of environmental mastitis outbreaks, and to describe the profile of pathogens isolated from mastitis cases of cows housed in the CBP system. Three dairies were visited monthly during 1 year. On each visit day, milk samples were collected from the bulk tank and from a sample of mammary quarters for microbiological examination. Milk samples were collected from all cases of clinical mastitis. Flank, leg, udder, and teat cleanliness were assessed using a score chart based on a 4-point scale (1 ¼ clean to 4 ¼very dirty). Bedding samples were collected to estimate concentrations of total bacteria, streptococci, and coliforms, moisture, organic matter, carbon-nitrogen ratio, pH, and density. Mixed models were used to identify factors associated with incidence and prevalence of mastitis, and cow cleanliness. Except for farm A, on which contagious pathogens caused most cases, Escherichia coli, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and environmental streptococci were the most frequent pathogens isolated from clinical mastitis cases. Corynebacterium bovis was the most frequent pathogen isolated from subclinical cases of farms B (17.6) and C (26.0%). Environmental pathogens were isolated from 17.2%, 10.1%, and 14.8% of all subclinical cases of farms, A, B, and C, respectively. No outbreaks of environmental mastitis were observed during the course of the study. Bedding moisture, carbon-nitrogen ratio, pH, and dry density were unconditionally associated with the incidence of environmental clinical mastitis. Nonetheless, bedding moisture remained as a sole predictor in the final model. The odds of a case of environmental clinical mastitis increased 5.7% for each one-unit increase in bedding moisture. The odds of a new case of subclinical mastitis, and of a cow having SCC Z200,000 cells/mL increased 32% and 16% for each one-unit increase in leg cleanliness score, respectively. Overall means for udder, teat, flank, and leg hygiene scores were less than 2.1 for all farms and did not vary among seasons of the year. Bedding wet density was positively associated with all cleanliness scores and bulk milk concentration of total bacteria. Results suggest that managing bedding to remain dry and loose will result in cleaner animals with decreased risk of mastitis.

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Epidemiology of mastitis and interactions of environmental factors on udder health in the compost barn system

Fonseca

Mendonça

Souza

et al. 2023

Arq. Bras. Med. Vet. Zootec.

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This study aimed to describe the epidemiological indexes of mastitis, milk quality and udder hygiene in the Compost Barn system, as well as to search for associations between isolated pathogens from milk with compost characteristics. Three dairy herds participated in the study, and the samples were collected during different periods on each farm. Individual milk samples were collected in duplicate for SCC analysis and microbiological culture. Environmental pathogens caused most cases of clinical mastitis on farm 2, and contagious pathogens caused the most cases on farm 1. Bed moisture was not associated with the incidence of environmental pathogens. Most of the animals remained in good udder hygiene during the study. Poor udder hygiene contributed to the increased incidence of environmental pathogens in one of the farms. A higher number of animals with a hygiene score of ≥ 2 were observed during the warmer and rainfall periods. There was no association between hygiene scores and somatic cell counts. The results suggest that pathogens isolated from milk in animals confined in Compost Barn under tropical climate are like other confinement systems adopted elsewhere. The year period influenced the udder hygiene score, reinforcing the importance of bed management throughout the year.

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Longitudinal Trends and Associations between Compost Bedding Characteristics and Bedding Bacterial Concentrations

Cited by 4 publications

References 10 publications

Invited review: Compost-bedded pack barns for dairy cows

Invited review: Compost-bedded pack barns for dairy cows

Factors associated with mastitis epidemiologic indexes, animal hygiene, and bulk milk bacterial concentrations in dairy herds housed on compost bedding

Epidemiology of mastitis and interactions of environmental factors on udder health in the compost barn system

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