Abstract
Simple SummaryThe provision of appropriate bedding is important for the welfare of dairy cows. Before bedding can be selected, it is critical to understand the properties of the bedding, including its impact on milk microbiota. The objective of this article was to evaluate the influence of three materials for use as bedding on physicochemical properties, bacterial counts and colostrum microbiota of cows. Our results demonstrate that peanut shells appear to be a suitable bedding material for cows. These experiments provide empirical support for the use of peanut shells and rice husks as bedding material for dairy cows and illustrates the effects of bedding types on the colostrum microbiota of dairy cows.The aim of this study was to evaluate peanut shells and rice husks as bedding for dairy cows. We analyzed material properties including dry matter, water holding capacity, pH level and bacterial counts. Bedding treatments were compared with a one-way ANOVA using twelve cows split into three groups. Colostrum microbiota was analyzed by sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Dry matter content was higher in rice husks compared with peanut shells. No treatment effects were found for water holding capacity and pH level. Streptococcus agalactia counts in peanut shell bedding were lower than in rice husk bedding, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa counts were not different between beddings. A significant enrichment for Enhydrobacter and Pantoea were detected in the colostrum of cows that used peanut shells compared with other beddings. Colostrum of cows housed on a peanut–rice combination had a greater relative abundance of Pseudomonas and Corynebacterium than those housed on peanut shells or rice husks. Higher numbers of Bacteroides, Akkermansia, Alistipes, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014, Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002 and Intestinimona were found in the colostrum of cows housed on rice husk bedding over other bedding types. These results suggest that bedding types were associated with the growth and diversity of colostrum bacterial loads. In addition, dry matter in peanut shells was lower than found in rice husks, but there was also a lower risk of mastitis for peanut shell bedding than other beddings.
Highlights
Bedding plays an important role in the welfare of housed dairy cows [1], as they usually lie on it for 8–16 h/d to rest [2]
The present study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical properties of three bedding types and their composition of colostrum microbiota for use as bedding for dairy cows
Bedding dry matter was lower for peanut shells than for rice husks but did not differ from the peanut–rice combination
Summary
Bedding plays an important role in the welfare of housed dairy cows [1], as they usually lie on it for 8–16 h/d to rest [2]. Good bedding improves cows’ cleanliness, behavior, and udder health, and reduces hoof injuries [3–5]. Cows lie down for longer when the bedding is dry, soft and clean [2,3,6]. Management of bedding to maintain properties such as dryness, is an important consideration. According to Rowbotham et al [7], providing new bedding to stalls more than once weekly can reduce the bulk milk somatic cell score. This may have a positive benefit for the farm, because increased somatic cell count is related to milk loss [8]
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