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Zailani NIM, Hanis F, Anuar MAM. Assessing the cost efficiency and benefits of sawdust, pinewood, and rubber wood shavings as bedding materials. J Equine Vet Sci 2024; 134:105018. [PMID: 38316315 DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of using sawdust, pinewood shavings, and rubber wood shavings as horse bedding materials. Nine horses were used in a repeated measure design, where each horse was provided with each of the bedding materials for two consecutive weeks. The weight, cost, mucking out time, ammonia emissions, and urine holding capacity were measured and calculated for each bedding material. Results showed that pinewood shavings had the highest urine-holding capacity, while rubber wood shavings had the lowest absorbency for urine. Pinewood shavings also had lower ammonia emissions compared to sawdust and rubber wood shavings but were significantly more expensive. Sawdust was the cheapest of the three bedding materials, but it was used in greater quantities, which required more time for mucking out. The findings from this study could be used to make informed decisions on bedding materials for stables, taking into consideration the trade-off between cost, maintenance requirements, and labor hours.
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Affiliation(s)
- N I M Zailani
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, University of Technology Malaysia, Skudai, Johor 81310, Malaysia
| | - F Hanis
- Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Malaysia, Skudai, Johor 81310, Malaysia.
| | - M A M Anuar
- Department of Built Environment and Surveying, School of Professional & Continuing Education, University of Technology Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur 54000, Malaysia
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Simoni M, Mezzasalma N, Pitino R, Manuelian CL, Spadini C, Iannarelli M, Montanaro SL, Summer A, Cabassi CS, De Marchi M, Righi F. A short-term comparison of wheat straw and poplar wood chips used as litter in tiestalls on hygiene, milk, and behavior of lactating dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 2023; 106:9150-9163. [PMID: 37641355 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2022-22811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
A short-term study was conducted to compare the effect of using poplar wood chips (PWC) instead of wheat straw (WS) litter in dairy cows. A total of 38 lactating Holstein cows (204 ± 119 days in milk, 26.9 ± 6.5 kg of milk yield [MY]) were housed in a tiestall farm for a 10-d trial including 5 d of adaptation followed by 5 sampling days (from d 5 to 10). Cows were divided into 2 homogeneous groups: one group was bedded with WS, and the second with PWC. Both litter materials were provided in the amount of 7 kg/stall per d. Each group was composed of 3 subgroups of 6 or 7 cows; the subgroups were physically separated along the feeding line by wooden boards. During the sampling days, fecal composition, used litter composition, and bacterial count (Clostridium spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli, Lactobacillus, and total bacterial count) were analyzed by subgroup twice a day. On d 1 and from d 5 to 10, udder hygiene score and cow cleanliness score were also evaluated individually twice a day. Meanwhile MY, milk hygiene (total bacterial count [TBC], coliform bacterial count [CBC], and spore-forming units [SFU]) and quality were measured and analyzed from 9 animals per group. Moreover, individual animal behavior (body position and behavioral traits) and subgroup dry matter intake were measured on d 9 and 10. Fecal dry matter did not differ between groups, PWC had the lowest used litter moisture and N content favoring the highest clean cow frequency, but also gave rise to the greatest used litter microbial contamination. The MY, milk quality, TBC, SFU, and CBC were similar. The lying behavior frequency was similar between groups. However, the PWC group showed the lowest sleeping frequency, the highest frequency of other behaviors (including discomfort signs), and the lowest dry matter intake. However, despite this apparent reduction in cow comfort, no biologically important differences were observed in this short-term study between cows on PWC and WS in milk production or hygiene.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Simoni
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy.
| | - N Mezzasalma
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - R Pitino
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy.
| | - C L Manuelian
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy; Group of Ruminant Research (G2R), Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - C Spadini
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - M Iannarelli
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - S L Montanaro
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - A Summer
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - C S Cabassi
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
| | - M De Marchi
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, 35020 Legnaro (PD), Italy
| | - F Righi
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
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Ferraz PFP, Ferraz GAES, Leso L, Klopčič M, Barbari M, Rossi G. Properties of conventional and alternative bedding materials for dairy cattle. J Dairy Sci 2020; 103:8661-8674. [PMID: 32600754 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2020-18318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The bedding material used in barns for dairy cows has a significant effect on animal welfare and performance. Bedding influences the duration in which animals remain lying down and, consequently, the processes of rumination and milk production. It is crucial to have a complete understanding of the properties of bedding materials and the effects of alternative bedding materials on dairy cattle. This paper aims to evaluate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of various alternative and conventional bedding materials for dairy cattle for use in compost bedded pack or freestall barn systems. We analyzed 50 samples of 17 bedding materials produced in 3 European countries. We analyzed physical properties including the water holding capacity, porosity, moisture content, bulk density, dry bulk density, and particle size. Chemical analyses were performed to determine the total N, total organic C, and C:N ratio. In the biological analyses, the Escherichia coli count, total bacteria count, coliform count, and Klebsiella spp. count were assessed. The results demonstrated how the physical properties of the bedding materials may influence the chemical and biological properties. All of the materials presented adequate chemical properties to be used as bedding material. The physical properties of the bedding materials differed widely among the materials except for the dry bulk density, which presented no difference. Moreover, the contamination of each studied microorganism was observed for each bedding material to determine which material had the lowest level of contamination. Posidonia oceanica, Miscanthus grass, and spelt husks could be considered as a potential alternative material for use as bedding material for dairy cows in both systems (i.e., composted bedded pack and freestall). This experiment illustrated the importance of performing thorough physical, chemical, and biological analyses before implementing a material as bedding for dairy cattle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrícia Ferreira Ponciano Ferraz
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), PO Box 3037, CEP 37200-900 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | - Gabriel Araújo E Silva Ferraz
- Department of Agricultural Engineering, Federal University of Lavras (UFLA), PO Box 3037, CEP 37200-900 Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Lorenzo Leso
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura, 13 - 50145 Florence, Italy
| | - Marija Klopčič
- Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, University of Ljubljana, Groblje 3, 1230 Domžale, Slovenia
| | - Matteo Barbari
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura, 13 - 50145 Florence, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Rossi
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry, University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura, 13 - 50145 Florence, Italy
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