Thermoregulatory behavior of dairy cows submitted to bedding temperature variations in Compost barn systems

Peixoto, Maria Simone Mendes; Filho, José Antônio Delfino Barbosa; Machado, Nítalo André Farias; Viana, Vinícius de Sena Sales; Costa, Jander Fabrício Martins

doi:10.1080/09291016.2019.1616904

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…In our study, cows were able to show all of the natural lying positions in most of the barns, but the more diverse positions in FWS were similar those adopted in the conditions that pasture provides (Krohn and Munksgaard, 1993). To achieve almost pasture-like conditions in FWS, climatic conditions that affect bedding conditions, choice of optimal bedding material, and considered arrangement of facilities (e.g., water points, concentrate feeders, scrapers) are also important (Lobeck et al, 2011;Mendes Peixoto et al, 2019).…”

Section: Comfort Around Restingmentioning

confidence: 53%

Symposium review: Animal welfare in free-walk systems in Europe

Blanco‐Penedo

Ouweltjes

Ofner-Schröck

et al. 2020

Journal of Dairy Science

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Providing more space per animal, soft bedding, and free roaming in animal housing systems is widely presumed to be beneficial for the welfare of the animals. This observational study aimed to investigate the basis of this assumption in free-walk housing systems (FWS) for dairy cows in Europe. The dairy cattle Welfare Quality assessment protocol was adapted for application to FWS, and the focus was on animal-based measures, from individual cow scoring to comfort around resting. The study was conducted on 41 farms [21 FWS and 20 cubicle housing (CH)] from 6 European countries (Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and Sweden) displaying a variety of management systems. A total of 4,036 animals were scored. We found differences in animal welfare under different management conditions. The hindquarters and lower hind legs of cows from FWS were dirtier than those of cows in CH, but we found no difference in the dirtiness of udders or teats. Cows from FWS showed fewer hairless patches in all body areas except the neck; fewer lesions in the lower hind legs and hindquarters; and less swelling in the lower hind legs, flanks, and carpus than cows from CH. The prevalence of sound cows appeared to be higher in FWS, and moderate lameness prevalence was lower compared with CH. We found no difference in the prevalence of severe lameness between systems. We conducted a total of 684 observation sessions of comfort around resting, consisting of 830 lying down and 849 rising up movements. Cows in FWS took less time to lie down, had less difficulty rising up, and had fewer collisions with the environment during both behaviors than cows in CH. Cows lay partly or completely outside the supposed lying area less frequently in FWS than in CH. Cows in FWS adopted comfortable lying positions more often compared with CH, showing a higher occurrence of long and wide positions than cows in CH. Short positions were more common in FWS, and narrow positions were slightly more common in CH. We found large variations in animal-based measures between study herds and within housing systems. However, the observed patterns associated with each system demonstrated differences in cow scoring and comfort around resting. This study shows that a wide range of good and bad management practices exist in FWS, especially related to cow hygiene.

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Section: Comfort Around Restingmentioning

confidence: 53%

Symposium review: Animal welfare in free-walk systems in Europe

Blanco‐Penedo

Ouweltjes

Ofner-Schröck

et al. 2020

Journal of Dairy Science

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“…Another important aspect regarding bed temperature is the possibility of animals experiencing heat transfer (convection and conduction) at favourable points. In a previous study, the spatial variability of bed temperature in two distinct periods (dry and rainy) revealed high heterogeneity in both situations caused by ventilation management, and revolving bedding occurred [ 38 ]. The same authors stated that such situations generate competition and dominance among animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such comfort is caused by the softness of the bed [ 2 ]. In another study, longer lying times in cows were influenced by both factors: the nearness of the fans and median bed temperatures [ 38 ]. The results of the present study are similar to previous findings in that the bed was moved twice a day to maintain softness.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatio-Thermal Variability and Behaviour as Bio-Thermal Indicators of Heat Stress in Dairy Cows in a Compost Barn: A Case Study

Vieira

Soares

Herbut

et al. 2021

Animals

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The spatial variability and behavioural aspects of compost-bedded pack barns remain unknown in subtropical regions. In this study, we investigated whether spatial variability occurs in the thermal environment of a compost barn and how the behaviour of dairy cows with different numbers of lactations differs in this system. The spatial sampling design comprised a grid of 108 locations inside the facility. At each location, we measured air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and bed temperature at 9:00, 12:00, and 15:00. We performed 24-h behavioural observations. Regarding spatial variability, the north face showed high air temperature values, and the distribution of relative humidity varied from the north to the south face. Kriging maps revealed a high bedding temperature trend, indicating heterogeneous ventilation management. Primiparous cows visited the water trough during the hottest hours of the day, whereas multiparous cows displayed a higher probability of walking during these periods. In conclusion, we observed a heterogeneous management of ventilation through the spatial distribution of the thermal environment inside the compost-bedded pack barn, with multiparous cows exhibiting dominance over primiparous cows seeking environmental resources.

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“…The rectal temperature (°C) was measured using a digital clinical thermometer (rigid digital thermometer MC-245, OMRON). The respiratory rate (breaths/min) was obtained by experts observing the flank for 15 s (Machado et al 2021) with an infrared thermometer (Akrom KR380, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil), at a distance of 0.50 cm between the animal and observer. The temperatures of the muzzle, forehead, flank, and base of the tail were obtained.…”

Section: Physiological Parametersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological responses, water consumption, and feeding behaviour of lamb breeds fed diets containing different proportions of concentrate

Pereira

Parente

Zanine

et al. 2022

JABB

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The use of adapted breeds, such as Santa Inês, is of paramount importance for regions with high temperatures because they develop efficient mechanisms for heat dissipation. Furthermore, some breeds have physiological adaptations, such as more efficient mechanisms for the digestion of fibrous foods (e.g. Rabo Largo), which can reduce the harmful effects of semiarid environments. We studied the ingestive behaviour, water consumption, and physiological parameters during feeding of two native sheep breeds fed diets containing high (700 g/kg DM; HC diet) or low (300 g/kg DM; LC diet) percentages of concentrates, based on dry matter (DM). A total of 40 uncastrated male lambs (20 Rabo Largo [breed 1] and 20 Santa Inês [breed 2], with an average body weight of 16.68 ± 2.78 kg, and 19.29 kg ± 3.28 kg, respectively), were distributed in a randomised block design in a two-by-two factorial scheme (breeds × diets) with 10 repetitions. Santa Inês lambs consumed and ruminated DM (P = 0.029 for both) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF; P = 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively) more efficiently than RaboLargo lambs, while the latter showed an increase in respiratory rate (+19 breaths/min) and rectal temperature (+1.3 °C) compared to the Santa Inês lambs (P = 0.001). The HC diet negatively affected (P < 0.05) the feeding behaviour of the animals, reflecting the higher (P < 0.05) water consumption. The results showed that diets rich in concentrate negatively affected the thermoregulation of lambs. Santa Inês have greater feed and thermoregulatory efficiency than Rabo Largo lambs under conditions of heat stress in the feedlot.

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Thermoregulatory behavior of dairy cows submitted to bedding temperature variations in Compost barn systems

Cited by 18 publications

References 14 publications

Symposium review: Animal welfare in free-walk systems in Europe

Symposium review: Animal welfare in free-walk systems in Europe

Spatio-Thermal Variability and Behaviour as Bio-Thermal Indicators of Heat Stress in Dairy Cows in a Compost Barn: A Case Study

Physiological responses, water consumption, and feeding behaviour of lamb breeds fed diets containing different proportions of concentrate

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