Abstract
Simple SummaryEnvironmental concerns related to livestock production have driven the importance of developing manure-management alternatives to mitigate N emissions. Hence, we carried out measurements of N loss in two different dairy housing systems (compost-bedded pack vs. cubicles), each system with a very distinct manure-management procedure. Since each system performs different manure-management practices, it may be important to compare their efficiency in terms of N recovery from manure in both systems. In contemplation of annual temperature variation, measurements of N recovery after manure management were carried out during warm and cold seasons of the year. Significantly higher volatilization rates were found in compost-bedded pack system with respect to cubicles system, therefore, N left in manure was lower in compost-bedded pack barns.The aim of this study was to determine N recovery and irreversible losses (i.e., through NH3-N volatilization) from manure in two different housing systems throughout a year using an N mass balance approach. Dietary, milk, and manure N were monitored together with outside temperatures in six dairy barns during six months, comprising two different seasons. Three barns were designed as conventional free stalls (cubicle, CUB) and the other three barns as compost-bedded packs (CB). All the barns were located in the Ebro’s valley, in the northeast of Spain. Mass N balance was performed simultaneously in the six barns, during two three-month periods (Season I and II) and sampling at a 15-day interval. Results of ANOVA analysis showed that annual N retained in manure (kg/head per year) from cows housed in CUB barns was significantly higher than in manure from cows housed in CB (133.5 vs. 70.9, p < 0.001), while the opposite was observed for N losses (26.9 vs. 84.8, for CUB and CB barn, respectively; p < 0.005). The annual mean proportion of irreversible N loss from manure in relation to N intake was much lower in barns using conventional free-stall cubicles than the mean ratio registered in bedded pack systems barns.
Highlights
Compost-bedded pack barns are alternative to conventional housing cubicles for dairy cows
The objective of this study is to quantify, including the lactating and non-lactating period, the N mass balance in dairy cattle barns through an annual cycle comparing two housing systems, conventional solid floor cubicle (CUB; where cows are confined in concrete floor cubicles, manure being collected daily from the feed alley and stored in an open air concrete pool [15]) and compost-bedded pack (CB; where an open resting area free of partitions made from the cattle manure is provided, which is daily composted “in situ” by the tillage of a rotary harrow or cultivator) [16]
All farms raised Holstein Friesian cows from 1 to 4 parturitions and between housing system no differences between CUB and CB were detected in either age (4.1 and 4.2 years respectively; SE = 0.06) nor parturition interval (426 and 438 days respectively; SE = 4.9), mean lactation number was slightly higher in cows managed in CUB barns (2.43 vs. 2.23; SE = 0.029)
Summary
Manure application in croplands poses potential risks to the environment, not just for its concentration in toxic metals and potentially pathogenic bacteria [1,2], but mainly for the impact produced by the excess of N upon the water, soil, and atmosphere [3,4]. Compost-bedded pack barns are alternative to conventional housing cubicles for dairy cows. In these barns, the entire resting area consists of a deep bedded pack dairy stirred in order to favor the water evaporation and composting process [5]. Potential advantages of compost-bedded pack rely on animal welfare and manure management [6].
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