slugEnvironment, behavior and welfare aspects of dairy cows reared in compost bedded pack barns system
Journal Title: Journal of Animal Behaviour and Biometeorology - Year 2017, Vol 5, Issue 3
Abstract
The compost bedded pack barns is a loose housing confinement system for dairy cows, which aims to provide greater comfort in the resting area. Therefore, objective of this review was to investigate the environment, behavior and welfare aspects of dairy cows in the compost bedded pack barns system. The system is characterized by the large collective bed area, in which the objective is the composting of that area. In this way, the ideal bed management is the key point to the success of this system. In addition to daily revolving, an efficient ventilation system is required to perform the air exchange in the shed, and maintain adequate bed humidity levels, while maintaining a comfortable dry environment for the cows to lie down. The ventilation system also has great importance in the cows’ thermal comfort. In seasons of high average temperatures, ventilation reduces possible stress situations, raising the animals’ welfare level. Another characteristic of compost bedded pack barns is the greater spacing per animal in the bed area, allowing animals to express naturally the behavior of lying down and decrease the competition among animals. The compost bedded pack barns system presents the potential to provide comfort and welfare for dairy cows. However, good bed management and microclimatic environmental conditions are necessary. However, further studies are needed at the national level to provide more information on the ideal management of the system under climatic conditions in Brazil and the cows’ behavior in the system.
Authors and Affiliations
Jaqueline Agnes Pilatti ▪ Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP17941
- DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.14269/2318-1265/jabb.v5n3p97-105
- Views 460
- Downloads 19
slugImpact of heat stress, nutritional stress and combined (heat and nutritional) stresses on rumen associated fermentation characteristics, histopathology and HSP70 gene expression in goats
A study was conducted to assess the impact of heat stress, nutritional stress and combined stresses (heat and nutritional stress) on rumen fermentation characteristics, histopathology of rumen and rumen HSP70 gene exp...
slugThermal comfort index for dairy cattle in different micro-regions of the Paraíba state, Brazil
The objective of this work to make a study of thermal comfort index in six regions of the state of Paraiba and thereby identify which region has better thermal comfort condition for dairy cattle. For this, data from t...
slugThermoregulatory characteristics in horses submitted to vaquejada competitions
The aim of this study was to observe the behavior of physiological parameters horses undergoing physical exercises and competitions handle the bull correlate with the physical environment using the values of Wet Bulb...
slugFeeding behavior of Santa Inês sheep in pastures of Cynodon dactylon and Andropogon gayanus
The objective of this study was to compare the behavior of sheep in different pastures, checking for possible differences in time spent grazing, leisure, and the number of bites of animals. 10 sheep Santa Inês were us...
slugAspects related to animal welfare in pig production
This review aimed to highlight the importance of pig welfare and meat quality, as well as some critical points, solutions to improve the management of these animals for swine production. The animal welfare settings ha...