Carnauba (copernicia prunifera) straw as an alternative bedding material for dairy cows housed in a Compost barn system

K.P.L. Oliveira,F.A. Damasceno,L.B.S. Costa,M.S.M. Peixoto,J.A.D. Barbosa Filho,N.A.F. Machado,L.C. Sampaio

doi:10.1590/1678-4162-12249

Abstract

ABSTRACT The replacement of bedding in compost dairy barns (CB) comprises a recurrent management practice, but bedding materials are often not readily available in all regions and the choice of alternative materials is necessary. The objective was to evaluate the thermal attributes of carnauba straw (CS) bedding in compost dairy barn facilities. Environmental monitoring operations were performed at a commercial farm located in Northeast Brazil. Mini weather stations were used to evaluate environmental variables. The THI was evaluated as one of the comfort parameters. Analysis of the spatial distribution of bed surface temperature (BST) in the CB was performed using geostatistical techniques. The cows remained out of the comfort zone according to THI results. The BST indicated satisfactory performance and from the thermal point of view can be used as alternative bedding material in CB facilities. However, it was observed that the CS showed fast biomass degradation compared to conventional materials, widely known. In addition, inadequate temperature values (< 45°C) were found in the deeper of the CS bed, signaling higher risks of pathogenic microbial activity. Additional studies are needed for searching the proper management plans that increase the life span of the bed formed by carnauba straw.

Highlights

Compost barn (CB), which is a relatively new system worldwide, has emerged as an alternative to conventional systems used in dairy farming (Bewley et al, 2017)
The bed was in the initial process of composting, it can be considered that the association of factors, lower air temperature (AT) and higher UR, contributed to more favorable values of bed surface temperature (BST) and bed internal temperature (BIT), considering the regions of semiarid climate (Table 1)
The current study showed that the BIT was affected by increasing barn ambient temperature, as shown in studies by Eckelkamp et al (2016) and Silva et al (2020), which may explain the result of the material having presented the internal temperature increase in the third phase, if compared with the second

Summary

Introduction

Compost barn (CB), which is a relatively new system worldwide, has emerged as an alternative to conventional systems used in dairy farming (Bewley et al, 2017). The choice of bedding type is a key issue in Compost Barns (CB) systems Factors such as constant product availability, price and purchase logistics are seen by the producer as considerable management challenges, with sawdust being generally the most used material on farms (Barberg et al, 2007; Oliveira et al, 2019). Materials such as sawdust or wood shavings have a high cost for producers in some regions, increasing interest in alternative bedding materials (Shane et al, 2010). Studies have shown the use of alternative materials in Brazil (Oliveira et al, 2019; Piovesan and Oliveira, 2020; Valente et al, 2020)

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