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Namen diplomskega dela je ekonomska in tehnološka primerjava 4 različnih vrst nastilja: žagovine, slame, lesnih ostružkov, rezane slame. Raziskava zajema 2 ločena poskusa. Prvi poskus temelji na vsakodnevnem čiščenju boksa, kot je tudi najpogosteje v praksi. Drugi poskus pa temelji na vzdržljivosti nastilja. Vsak od navedenih poskusov je po modelnih kalkulacijah ovrednoten glede na stroške nastilja in stroške dela. Predstavljeni so skupni dnevni, mesečni in letni stroški kot tudi razmerje stroškov (nastilj : delo). Potrebne podatke o velikosti boksov ter višini, obsegu in dolžini konj smo pridobili z merjenjem. Prav tako smo z merjenjem pridobili podatke porabe nastilja in časa. Ugotovili smo, da vsi 4 različni materiali nastilja konjem zagotavljajo udobje, vendar ne pri enaki količini in niso vse vrste nastilja primerne za vse konje. Upoštevati moramo zdravstveno stanje konja, različne anomalije in navade konj. The aim of this work is economic and technological comparation of 4 different bedding materials: sawdust in bulk, wood shavings, squared harvest straw and slice-dusted straw. The survey covers 2 separate experiments. The first attempt is based on day-to-day slean up, it is the most often in practice. In second trial is tested the durability od the bedding maerials. Each of these experiments is evaluated according to model calculations based on material costs and labor costs. The total daily, monthly and annual costs as well as the cost ration (material:work) is presented. We obtained the necessary data of boxes size and the height, extent and lenght of horses by measuring. We also measured the time we needed to prepare boxes (cleaning, preparing bedding material). We found that all 4 bedding materials provide comfort, but not fort he same amount and not all kinds of bedding materials are suitable for all horses. We must take into account the health status of horses, the various anomalies and habits of horses.

Bedded pack barns in Netherlands can be divided into two groups. One group uses organic material, mostly compost, as a bedding material. The other group also uses organic material but with the aim to start a composting process in the bedding. In a study by Galama et al., the impact of bedded pack barns on farm economy, animal health and welfare, milk quality and environment was reported. One of the aspects of the environmental impact of bedded pack barns is the gaseous emissions of C- and N-compounds. However, gaseous emissions of bedded pack barns have not been measured extensively before. Emissions of deep litter systems for cows and pigs and other type of litter-based systems for dairy and beef cows have been researched. To gain insight into the absolute emission levels of three of the bedded pack barns, the emissions were also measured at the barn level.

Worldwide, 2–10% of human population is infested with pubic lice which are mostly found in the hair of pubic area, occasionally under the armpits, in the beard or mustache and on the eyebrows and eyelashes. They are usually transmitted through sexual contact or through toilet seats and bedding material. A twenty-year-old boy suffering from severe itching in the genital region during night hours submitted the lice for their identification in Department of Veterinary Parasitology, College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, Mhow. These lice were identified as Phthirus pubis.

During 2006 and 2011, following the implementation of dioxin contamination monitoring in poultry meat, levels higher than legally allowed in meat from poultry slaughtered for human consumption, were found. The wood shavings used as bedding material in the poultry farm showed considerable high contaminations, indicating that these materials were the likely source of contamination of the animals. Wood shavings samples (n = 23), used as poultry litters in intensive farms of broilers, were analysed. In both episodes, contamination profiles of higher and lower concentrations, seem to be very similar, being OCDD, OCDF, 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDD and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF responsible for 97.4 % of the total contamination. The present work describes the analytical adapted, used methodology and the specific clean-up procedures, which revealed that recoveries of 13C12-Labelled compounds added to the wood shavings samples ranged from 71.3% to 86.3%.

Aim: The aim was to assess the efficacy of pine leaves as an alternative bedding material on the performance of broiler chicks. Materials and Methods: The present study was conducted in summer. Total 120, day old Vencobb straight run chicks were procured, and after 5 days of brooding, chicks were randomly distributed into four treatment groups viz. paddy husk (Group I), paddy straw (Group II), pine leaves (Group III), and combination of paddy straw and pine leaves (Group IV), each having 30 chicks with 3 replicates of 10 chicks each. Chicks were reared under intensive conditions in houses that have a semi-controlled environment, with optimum temperature and adequate ventilation. Food and water were provided as per NRC (1994) requirement. Results: The average body weight after 6 weeks of the experiment was 2018.83±31.11, 1983.80±33.27, 2007.36±35.73, and 1938.43±36.35 g. The bedding type had no significant effect on the carcass characteristics viz. evisceration rate and proportion of cut-up parts of the carcass except giblet yield. The experiment suggested that performance of broiler chicks reared on paddy straw and pine leaves as litter material, had improved body weight and feed conversion ratio as compared to rearing on paddy husk as bedding material. Bacterial count, parasitic load and the N, P, K value of manure of different bedding material shows no significant difference. Conclusion: Pine leaves have a potential to be used as an alternative source of litter material to economize poultry production in a sustainable way, so as to make poultry farming as a profitable entrepreneur.

Bedding is used in livestock operations to facilitate manure management and provide comfort for the animal. Our research objective was to determine differences in ammonia (NH 3 ), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), and methane (CH 4 ) concentrations from simulated beef cattle bedded manure packs (BP) related to storage length (0 to 3, 3 to 6, and 6 to 9 weeks), bedding material (corn stover (CS) or soybean stubble (SB)), and temperature (10°C or 40°C). Bedding, fecal material, and urine were added weekly to 24 laboratory-scale BP (n = 2 per treatment combination). Static flux chamber samples from BP headspace were analyzed for CO 2 , N 2 O, and CH 4 at 0, 24, 46, and 144 h and for NH 3 at 0, 5, 9, 23, 34, 46, and 144 h after weekly manure and bedding addition for three consecutive weeks using a doubly repeated measures design. Ammonia concentrations were three times higher above BP in the Hot chamber (1190 ppm, SE = 47) compared to the Cold chamber (400 ppm, SE = 9). Average concentrations for CO 2 (6033 ppm, SE = 211), CH 4 (42 ppm, SE = 4), and N 2 O (0.61 ppm, SE = 0.05) were approximately twice as high at 40°C as for CO 2 (3902 ppm, SE = 161), CH 4 (21 ppm, SE = 2), and N 2 O (0.39 ppm, SE = 0.03) at 10°C. At 40°C, NH 3 concentrations above CS treatments (1388 ppm, SE = 75) were higher than above SB treatments (992 ppm, SE = 51). Overall, a higher storage temperature increased all gas concentrations. Increases in concentrations with length of storage were detected for CH 4 and CO 2 , while bedding affected NH 3 at 40°C and impacted changes in increase for CH 4 concentrations. These data suggest that seasonal management decisions can impact gas production and release in barns using BP. During hot months, NH 3 , CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O concentrations are expected to increase and when applying CS as the bedding, NH 3 concentrations will likely be higher with CS bedding compared with SB bedding. At temperatures around 10°C, CO 2 and CH 4 concentrations are anticipated to increase with longer storage lengths.

Despite dairy farmers' awareness of the importance of correct bedding for the health and comfort of their cows, they are often frugal with respect to these bedding materials in order to reduce costs. In addition, farmers are currently dependent on the availability and price fluctuations of traditional bedding materials. For these reasons, the scientific literature as well as the trade press point to an intensifying search for affordable alternative bedding materials. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Miscanthus, a woody grass that requires low input but generates high yield, could replace straw in deep little dairy cow cubicles. The cows' cubicles were lined for two consecutive 14-day periods with straw/chalk/water bedding, followed by two consecutive 14-day periods with ground- Miscanthus/chalk bedding. No significant differences were found in the following parameters: loss/ waste of bedding material, bacterial growth in cubicles, cow skin lesions (except for carpus lesions), cow cleanli - ness or cow comfort. Dust concentrations measured as PM 10 were higher when cubicles were filled with straw- based bedding, but never exceeded workspace quality safety limits. Based on these results, one can conclude that Miscanthus has potential as a viable alternative to straw when used as a bedding material. On-farm cultivation of Miscanthus may increase dairy farmer self-sufficiency and could reduce bedding costs.

This study was conducted to determine the amount of manure production from Holstein dairy cattle raised in bedded pack barn and the appropriate bedding material removal time. Total six heads of dairy cows (about 715 kg weight) were raised in three pens (two heads per pen) for 62 days. Average daily production of manure containing sawdust bedding was 21.2 kg per head and that of manure excluding bedding was 18.7 kg. Moisture content of bedding materials were significantly increased up to 86% of water holding capacity (WHC) of sawdust during the first 30 days. It kept very stable level after 30 to 50 days. Theoretically, 30 days after adding fresh bedding seems to be proper removal time only based on WHC. On the other hand, from a practical perspective, maximum 50 days after adding new bedding would be fine by comprehensively considering various factors such as bedding material purchasing cost, feeding environment and manure treatment.

The study analyzed the effect of using sawdust, cellulose, straw, and rice husk bedding on the welfare, performance and meat quality of lambs during the finishing phase of fattening. Ninety-six lambs (fed ad libitum with concentrate) were assigned to pens containing 1 of 4 bedding materials in groups of 12 for 14 days. Live weight and feed consumption were recorded to estimate daily gain and conversion index, and carcass and meat quality variables were measured. Stereotypies, exploratory interactions with bedding material, and agonistic and affiliative interactions between animals were recorded by continuous sampling techniques using video recording. The substrates affected behavior and stress response variables. There were more stereotypies and agonistic interactions at the beginning of the experiment in all treatments (P ≤ 0.05). The lambs fattened on cellulose bedding interacted more with the substrate throughout the finishing stage (P ≤ 0.05), where there were also more affiliative interactions (P ≤ 0.05). Stress levels were lower in lambs on straw, followed by cellulose. No significant differences in production or carcass and meat quality traits were observed between treatments. The results suggest that all substrates evaluated could be efficiently incorporated into the system as bedding material without affecting productivity or product quality.

Title of the paper: Ethological investigations on occupation with the bedding of boars in Artificial Insemination stations Continuous video recordings with infrared video technique and computer supported analysis with OBSERVER program took place with 78 Piétrain boars in three A.I. stations during 3 x 24 hours. The mean percentage of occupation with the bedding during 24 hours was 7.4 ± 4.4 % (= 106.6 minutes) with a minimum of 1.5 % and a maximum of 18.6 %. The factors A.I. station, season and pen size had a significant influence on occupation with straw as bedding material. The percentage of occupation with bedding in winter was 1.8 % higher than in summer. The percentage of occupation with bedding increased with increasing pen size (from 5.5 % to 11.9 %). The differences between the A.I. stations (between 6.4 % and 10.1 % on average) were caused by management, especially by the frequency of the timers feeding, bedding and watering. The more frequent the boars were caused to stand up by feeding, bedding and watering the higher was the percentage of occupation with the bedding.

The purpose of cubicle (freestall) bedding is to provide a clean, dry, and comfortable resting surface for the cow. A clean surface reduces the possibility of bacterial infections, mainly from mastitis. Bedding should be clean and dry, thereby making it an inhospitable environment for bacterial growth. Providing a soft surface increases cow lying time and reduces the possibility of injury. Sand as a bedding material in cubicle housing has gained worldwide acceptance due to its favorable attributes related to cow health and comfort. Dairy producers using sand bedding report higher milk production, less lameness, fewer cases of mastitis, and increased reproduction rates. Dairy facilities are commonly designed with sand in mind and reflect the proper cubicle design. Additionally, many dairies have successfully converted non-sand facilities to accommodate sand. Manure handling is a perceived detractor of sand bedding. Some producers are willing to forgo the positive attributes of sand in favor of perceived simplicity of manure handling. Having evolved over the past thirty years as sand has gained prominence, a host of systems exist for effectively handling, storing, and treating sand-laden manure with some systems capable of recycling sand bedding from manure. The purpose of this paper is to describe the current practice of using sand bedding in cubicle housing. The specific, quantifiable benefits of sand will be discussed along with stall design and management. The paper also discusses the methods for converting non-sand bedded cubicles to sand. In addition, proven systems for handling sand-laden manure are discussed.

A preliminary study involving riding school horses and 2 nonedible items, a Jolly Ball and a rope, was carried out to explore the long-term (2 weeks) interest of horses in these items. Twelve horses were observed in their stalls during 3 observation periods per observation day (10 AM-11 AM; 11 AM-12 PM; 6 PM-7 PM) using the scan sampling method. Each object was presented to each horse for 2 weeks and observations were carried out on Saturday and Sunday after introduction (weekend 1), after 1 week (weekend 2), and after 2 weeks (weekend 3). Both items were hung up on the front wall of the stall. Items were presented to the horses in a rotation system so that each horse was exposed to each condition (ball, rope, control). Item-related behavior occurred to a limited extent, possibly due to the presence of sufficient hay quantities. The available bedding material also influenced the use of the items, as horses showed more item-related behavior when bedding material was unclean. The fact that both items were hung may also have played a role. Both objects were equally interesting but the ball maintained the horse's interest over a longer period. In the presence of the rope, however, no item-related behavior was seen at the end of the second week. There was no effect observed on general activities or on abnormal behavior. This finding might be due to the patterns of abnormal oral behavior (licking and manipulating box fittings) that the horses exhibited and the fact that the objects did not address the underlying causes of this behavior. When horses are appropriately reared, nonedible items are not useful as enrichment. In this study, balls seemed to maintain interest over a longer period. To explore the potential for long-term interest in nonedible items further, a more extensive study with a larger sample size and continuous behavior recording is recommended. The way of providing items should also be taken into account. publisher: Elsevier articletitle: A preliminary study on the long-term interest of horses in ropes and Jolly Balls journaltitle: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research articlelink: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2014.08.003 content_type: article copyright: Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ispartof: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research vol:10 issue:1 pages:83-86 status: published

Compost barns for dairy cows are showing increased popularity also in Central Europe. A compost barn is used mainly as a two-area system with a bedded lying area and a solid feeding alley. Sawdust or dry fine wood shavings or wood chips are mostly used as bedding material, which has to be stirred twice a day. Stirring aerates and mixes faeces and urine into the bedding material, the mixture decomposes by means of aerobic microorganisms. A joint research project between the Agricultural Research and Education Centre Raumberg-Gumpenstein (HBLFA) and the Institute for Sustainability Sciences T&#228nikon (ISS) analyzed amongst other things, the cleanliness of the animals, integument alterations, lying behaviour and the current lameness situation of animals. A total of 138 cows were examined on five Austrian dairy farms. All cows were visually scored and animal behaviour was observed by data loggers as well as by direct observation. The mean value concerning cleanliness of animals was 0.44, while the udder was the cleanest and the lower leg the dirtiest area. Only a few lesions in carpal and tarsal joints could be found. Cows showed no differences in lying behaviour between times of day and temperatures. Large differences in lying behaviour were evident among farms. While on the compost barn farms only around 25% of all cows were scored to be lame, on cubicle-housing system farms 31% - 46% of the cows fell into that category (p < 0.001). From the present results, the compost barn can be seen as an animal-friendly system. In further investigations other factors affecting animal health and to resolve any outstanding issues concerning economy and alternative litter materials should be analyzed.

The experiment was conducted at Ravi Campus of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan to assess the effect of wood-shaving, wheat-straw, corn-cob pulp and rice-husk (bedding materials) on the performance of three commercial strains of broiler viz, Ross-308, Cobb-500 and Arbor Acres. Three-hundred-sixty day-old chicks, 120/ strain were distributed into 36 replicates (10 birds/ replicate) according to 4×3 factorial arrangements. Weekly weight gain, FCR, livability and rearing cost was recorded. Birds raised on corn cob pulp exhibited enhanced (P£0.05) body weight, FCR, lesser rearing cost and superior (P£0.05) livability. Among strains, Ross-308 and Cobb-500 showed improved performance compared to Arbor Acres. Serum glucose and immune response were not affected by bedding material or strain; serum cholesterol was higher at rice husk; abdominal fat pad and foot pad dermatitis were higher at corn cob pulp and wood shaving. It was concluded that corn cob pulp proved to be a better bedding material, especially in Ross-308 and Cobb-500.

Manure constitutes a nutrient resource that should be efficiently recycled in agriculture. We assessed the nutrient cycling properties of three bedding materials (peat, wood shavings and pelleted straw) in horse manure by comparing their compostability, ability to retain nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) under rainfall and capacity to release N when mixed with soil. Manure with pelleted straw bedding had superior composting characteristics as it lost half of its dry mass, reached temperatures >60 °C and ended up having a carbon (C) to N (C:N) ratio of

Bedding material, which is a significant part of rodent housing, affects the health and well-being of laboratory animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate perlite as a bedding material for rodents and to compare it with wood shavings, expanded perlite and corncobs. The animals used in this experiment were 48 male and 48 female Sprague-Dawley rats. The bedding materials collected from experimental groups were analysed microbiologically. Blood samples from rats were subjected to biochemical analysis for catalase, glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, malondialdehyde, superoxide and dismutase, and foot pad skins of rats were subjected to histopathological examination. Body weight was determined at the end of the 30-day period. Perlite as the only bedding material had no effect on body weight, and it resulted in less microbial activity compared with the wood shavings, expanded perlite and corncobs. However, using perlite alone had negative effects on the skin, the moisture percentage of bedding and stress parameters. A wood shavingsperlite combination gave better results than perlite alone and appropriate perlite and other bedding material mixtures may result in bedding materials conducive to animal health and welfare. The frequency of changing the bedding material should be limited to once weekly.

The purpose of research and production experiment in the conditions of Akhmetov farm located in the Vysokogorsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan was to study the harmlessness of new sanitary bedding material and the effect on gosling broilers. The experiment evidenced that a new sanitary bedding material made of woodworking waste, thermochemically and biotechnologically treated, does not have an irritating effect on the skin and mucous membranes of the eye, nor does it provoke allergic reactions in rabbits, but, on the contrary, improves certain morphobiochemical and immunological factors of gosling blood. Ultimately, this resulted in accelerated red blood cells by 6.94 %, hemoglobin – 5.20 %, total protein – 6.30 %, γ-globulin – 9.38 %, total calcium – 6.14 %, inorganic phosphorus – 5.31 %, glucose – 5.38 %, increased phagocytic activity by 2.24 %, phagocytic number – 4.37 %, and increased number of S. Marcescens-stimulated cells through the NBT test by 5.17 % compared with the control, respectively. The data obtained are consistent with the advanced livestock viability in the experiment by 1.8 %, as compared with the control.

Agriculture modernization is a topical issue for both the global and domestic economy. Intensification of livestock farming results in an increased production of manure. Recycling of manure into bedding is one of the modern utilization technologies. National regulations do not specify requirements for currently applied bedding types, including manure-based bedding. The foreign experience, however, demonstrates several economic, zootechnical and hygienic advantages of this material. The field veterinary study revealed the positive health effect of bedding. The cows housed without bedding featured threefold higher risk of surgical diseases of limbs. Technical and economic assessment of a dairy farm with 1000 dairy cows showed the following annual operating costs when the major part of manure was passively composted and a part of manure was recycled into the bedding by (1) aerobic solid-state fermentation in a chamber fermenter and finish drying in a dryer drum – 24.2 million roubles; (2) aerobic solid-state fermentation in a drum fermenter – 21.7 million roubles; and (3) thermal drying in a dryer drum – 27.5 million roubles. At the same time, if all manure produced was composted and the bedding was purchased from external sources, the costs would be 27.9 to 35.2 million roubles depending on the bedding material.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different litter mixture compositions on bedding system temperature, pH and volatile fatty acid and ammonia-N (NH3-N) content, and the serum physico-chemical parameters and growth indices of calves. Thirty-two Limousin calves (280±20 kg) were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 8 for each group) according to the bedding system used: i) control with soil only (CTR); ii) mixture with 50% paddy hulls (PH), 30% saw dusts (SD), 10% peat moss (PM) and 10% corn cobs (CC) (TRT1); iii) mixture with 15% PH, 15% SD, 10% PM, 40% CC, and 20% corn stover (CS) (TRT2); iv) mixture with 30% PH, 10% PM, 40% CC, and 20% CS (TRT3). The litter material combinations of different treatments were based on the cost of bedding system materials in China. The cost of four treatments from low to high: Control

a b s t r a c t Fusarium mycotoxins such as DON and ZEN are commonly occurring in both cereal grains and straw particularly in temperate regions. Pigs are among the most sensitive animals to exposure of these mycotoxins. Straw is the most commonly used bedding material and thus may give a significant contribution to the exposure to pigs. The objective of the present study was to screen cereals and bedding material (straw) produced at Swedish pig farms for the presence of DON, ZEN, T-2 and HT-2 toxins. 188 samples from 2011 and 2012 were sampled and analysed, where DON was almost ubiquitous with 89% of the samples being contaminated. ZEN was present in 54% of the samples while T-2 and HT-2-toxin was detected in 29 and 16%, respectively. Oats was the cereal grain most frequently contaminated with DON and ZEN. Eight out of ten samples with highest ZEN levels were from straw whereas five out of ten samples of oat kernels contained the highest DON levels. Four out of ten samples were contaminated with both high levels of DON and ZEN. The large variation in DON and ZEN levels in the straw and cereals between the different farms yielded a large difference in the animal exposures at the studied farms. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/).

BACKGROUND: Rats used in nutritional studies are often kept in wire-based cages to prevent ingestion of bedding and minimise ingestion of faeces. However, wire-based cages are criticised because of potential negative animal welfare implications. This study investigated the effects of wire and solid-based cages with corncob bedding on large bowel fermentation and microbiota. Rats were group housed in wire or solid-based cages and fed either a low-fibre (LF) diet or a high-fibre (HF) diet composed of resistant starch for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Bedding material was observed in faeces of rats housed in solid-based cages. Caging type and diet altered large bowel fermentation variables and bacterial populations. Caecal digesta weight was lower in rats fed HF diet and maintained on bedding than in HF-fed rats maintained on wire. Bacteria abundance associated with fibre fermentation was higher in LF-diet fed rats maintained on bedding compared with LF-fed rats housed on wire. CONCLUSION: Maintaining rats in solid-based cages with corncob bedding alters large bowel fermentation and bacterial communities owing to ingestion of bedding. These changes may confound outcomes of nutritional studies, particularly those investigating the health effects of fibres. The use of wire-based caging may be justified in research of this type. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

Miller, J. J., Beasley, B. W., Drury, C. F., Hao, X. and Larney, F. J. 2014. Soil properties following long-term application of stockpiled feedlot manure containing straw or wood-chip bedding under barley silage production. Can. J. Soil Sci. 94: 389–402. The influence of long-term land application of stockpiled feedlot manure (SM) containing either wood-chip (SM-WD) or straw (SM-ST) bedding on soil properties during the barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) silage growing season is unknown. The main objective of our study was determine the effect of bedding material in stockpiled manure (i.e., SM-WD vs. SM-ST) on certain soil properties. A secondary objective was to determine if organic amendments affected certain soil properties compared with unamended soil. Stockpiled feedlot manure with SM-WD or SM-ST bedding at 77 Mg (dry wt) ha−1 yr−1 was annually applied for 13 to 14 yr to a clay loam soil in a replicated field experiment in southern Alberta. There was also an unamended control. Soil properties were measured every 2 wk during the 2011 and 2012 growing season. Properties included water-filled pore space (WFPS), total organic C and total N, NH4-N and NO3-N, water-soluble non-purgeable organic C (NPOC), water-soluble total N (WSTN), denitrification (acetylene inhibition method), and CO2 flux. The most consistent and significant (P≤0.05) bedding effects on soil properties in both years occurred for total organic C, C:N ratio, and WSTN. Total organic C and C:N ratio were generally greater for SM-WD than SM-ST, and the reverse trend occurred for WSTN. Bedding effects on other soil properties (WFPS, NH4-N, NO3-N, NPOC) occurred in 2012, but not in 2011. Total N, daily denitrification, and daily CO2 flux were generally unaffected by bedding material. Mean daily denitrification fluxes ranged from 0.9 to 1078 g N2O-N ha−1 d−1 for SM-ST, 0.8 to 326 g N2O-N ha−1 d−1 for SM-WD, and 0.6 to 250 g N2O-N ha−1 d−1 for the CON. Mean daily CO2 fluxes ranged from 5.3 to 43.4 kg CO2-C ha−1 d−1 for SM-WD, 5.5 to 26.0 kg CO2-C ha−1 d−1 for SM-ST, and from 0.5 to 6.8 kg CO2-C ha−1 d−1 for the CON. The findings from our study suggest that bedding material in feedlot manure may be a possible method to manage certain soil properties.

1195 The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of three types of wood-based bedding materials (kiln-dried pine wood chips, dry cedar chips, and green cedar chips) and corn stover on the concentration of odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and total Escherichia coli in bedded pack material. Four bedded packs of each bedding material were maintained for two 42-d periods (n = 32; eight replicates/bedding material). Straightand branched-chained fatty acids, aromatic compounds, and sulfide compounds were measured from the headspace above each bedded pack. Green cedar bedding had the highest concentration of odorous VOCs, and pine chip bedding had the lowest (P < 0.01). Calculated odor activity values were highest for green cedar bedding, followed by dry cedar, corn stover, and pine chip bedding. As the bedded packs aged, the concentration of odorous VOCs increased, particularly in the bedded packs containing green cedar chips and dry cedar chips. Total E. coli concentrations increased from Days 0 to 21 and then began to decline and were similar among all bedding materials (P < 0.10). Results of this study indicate that producers using a long-term bedded pack management in their facility may benefit from using pine chips because they do not appear to increase odor over time. Cedar-based bedding materials may be better suited for a scrape-and-haul system, where the bedded pack is removed after 1 or 2 wk. Total E. coli concentrations did not differ between any of the four bedding materials over time.

Land application of composted feedlot manure (CM) instead of stockpiled manure (SM) at increasing application rates to cropland, or use of wood-chip (WD) instead of straw (ST) bedding, may influence the nitrogen (N) balance and cause N surpluses. This could result in environmental losses of N to the atmosphere, surface, or ground waters. We determined the influence of manure type, bedding material, and application rate (13, 39, 77 Mg ha−1 dry wt.) on cumulative N inputs, outputs, and N balance (aboveground system) for a long-term (since 1998) field experiment where manure had been repeatedly applied for 2, 7, and 12 yr. The annual N inputs considered were N in organic amendments or inorganic fertilizer (IN), and N in irrigation water. The annual N outputs considered were N in crop uptake, NH3 volatilization, and N2O gaseous loss. After 12 applications, cumulative N deficits occurred for the unamended control (−1140 kg N ha−1) and IN treatment (−678 kg N ha−1), and cumulative N surpluses were found...

Protothecae are algal pathogens, capable of causing bovine mastitis, that are unresponsive to treatment; they are believed to have an environmental reservoir. The role of bedding management in control of protothecal mastitis has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the growth of either environmental or mastitis-associated Prototheca genotypes in dairy bedding materials that are commonly used in Maine. Prototheca zopfii genotypes 1 and 2 (gt1 and gt2) were inoculated into sterile broth only (control ), kiln-dried spruce shavings, "green" hemlock sawdust, sand, or processed manure-pack beddings with broth, and incubated for 2 d. Fifty microliters of each isolate was then cultured onto plates and the resulting colonies counted at 24 and 48 h postinoculation. Shavings were associated with significantly less total Prototheca growth than other bedding types. Growth of P. zopfii gt1 was significantly higher than that of gt2 in the manure-pack bedding material. Spruce shavings, compared with manure, sand, or sawdust, may be a good bedding type to prevent growth of Prototheca. Based on these in vitro findings, bedding type may affect Prototheca infection of cattle in vivo.

The aim of this study was to analyze the lamb's choice of bedding material when 4 different types of bedding materials and cement floor (CT) area were available during the fattening period. A total of 16 lambs were selected and distributed in 2 groups of 8 lambs each and fattened for 18 days. The animals were housed randomly in 1 of 2 pens that were subdivided into 5 areas. Four of these areas had 1 of the 4 types of flooring: sawdust (SU), waste of paper (WP), straw (ST), and rice husk (RH), whereas the fifth had a CT, opposite the feeding and drinking troughs. A video-recording device was set up in a room close to the pens to record maintenance behavior. Two kinds of recording were carried out: scan sampling every 10 minutes (7 am-9 pm) throughout the entire experiment, and continuous behavior sampling recorded continuously for 12 h/d (8 am-8 pm) on days 1, 7, and 14 (a total of 36 h/pen). The behavior patterns recorded during the experiment included lying down, standing, walking, feeding, and drinking. The occupancy rates for the different bedding areas were significantly different (P ≤ 0.001), and the lambs demonstrated a clear preference for SU bed, with a 47% occupancy rate, followed by WP (17%), ST, and RH, with occupancy rates of nearly 6% and 7%, respectively. The occupancy rate in the area with no bedding material (CT) was 21%. Significant differences were also found in behavior patterns between the bedding zones. When the lambs on the SU bedding were observed, 80% of the time they were lying down and 20% of the time standing. When they occupied the WP area, they spent 63% of the time lying down and 37% standing; for the ST bedding, the rates were 23% lying down and 77% standing; and when the lambs were observed in the area with RH flooring, they spent 40% of the time lying down and 60% standing. The clear preference shown by the lambs for SU may be associated to the SU's physical and thermal properties compared with ST. If all factors are taken into account (cost, animal preferences, and technical performance), WP bedding becomes a interesting material as an alternative to the ST bedding traditionally used by sheep farmers.

Horses are stabled overnight for a number of practical reasons; however, there is little research quantifying nocturnal equine behavioral patterns or the extent to which different environments influence nocturnal behavior. The aim of this study was to establish whether differences in duration of sleep and ingestive behaviors were apparent for horses bedded on straw (group 1) or shavings (group 2). Ten geldings of mixed breed (mean age: 7.3 ± 3.53 years) bedded on either shavings (n = 5) or straw (n = 5) were observed between 7 pm and 7 am. Duration of behaviors according to a predefined ethogram was recorded in minutes using a video recorder and continuous focal sampling. Mann–Whitney U tests were used to identify whether any significant differences in duration of ingestion and sleep behaviors occurred for horses bedded on straw compared with shavings. Of the total observation period, group 1 spent, on average, 29.3% of their time budget engaged in recumbent behaviors, compared with 12.2% for group 2. However, no significant differences in duration were established between horses bedded on straw or shavings for standing sleep, sternal recumbency, and lateral recumbency behaviors ( P > 0.05). Ingestive behaviors occupied approximately one-third of the time budget, with no significant difference ( P > 0.05) observed between groups. On average, group 1 spent a longer proportion of the observation period ingesting bedding (8.1%) compared with group 2 (1%). Duration of bedding ingestion appeared to peak between 1 am and 7 am for both groups. Although not quantified, general observations revealed horses were motivated to alternate between eating hay and bedding in both groups, owing to the prevalence of bedding ingestion. The results indicate that straw bedding facilitates the display of ingestive and sleep behaviors, whereas horses bedded on shavings spent a greater proportion of their nocturnal time budget engaged in "other" behaviors. Further research is required to investigate the extent to which different types of bedding material enrich the environment of horses that are stabled overnight.

Several mastitis-causing pathogens are able to colonize the bovine teat canal. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the treatment of sawdust bedding with a commercial alkaline conditioner and the bacterial counts on teat skin and in the teat canal. The study used a crossover design. Ten lactating Holstein cows that were free of udder infections and mastitis were included in the study. The animals were bedded on either untreated sawdust or sawdust that had been treated with a hydrated lime-based conditioner. Once a day, fresh bedding material was added. After 3 weeks, the bedding material was removed from the cubicles, fresh bedding material was provided, and the cows were rotated between the two bedding material groups. Teat skin and teat canals were sampled using the wet and dry swab technique after weeks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Escherichia coli and other coliform bacteria were detected in the resulting agar plate cultures. The treatment of the bedding material was associated with the teat skin bacterial counts of Str. uberis, Esch. coli and other coliform bacteria. An association was also found between the bedding material and the teat canal bacterial counts of coliform bacteria other than Esch. coli. For Staph. aureus, no associations with the bedding material were found. In general, the addition of a hydrated lime-based conditioner to sawdust reduces the population sizes of environmental pathogens on teat skin and in teat canals.

This study investigated the effects of a clay-based acidic bedding conditioner on sawdust bedding pH, dry matter (DM), environmental pathogen counts, and environmental bacterial counts on teat ends of lactating dairy cows. Sixteen lactating Holstein cows were paired based on parity, days in milk, milk yield, and milk somatic cell count, and were negative for the presence of an intramammary pathogen. Within each pair, cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatments with 3-wk periods in a crossover design. Treatment groups consisted of 9 freestalls per group bedded with either untreated sawdust or sawdust with a clay-based acidic bedding conditioner, added at 3- to 4-d intervals over each 21-d period. Bedding and teat ends were aseptically sampled on d 0, 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21 for determination of environmental bacterial counts. At the same time points, bedding was sampled for DM and pH determination. The bacteria identified in the bedding material were total gram-negative bacteria, Streptococcus spp., and coliform bacteria. The bacteria identified on the teat ends were Streptococcus spp., coliform bacteria, and Klebsiella spp. Teat end score, milk somatic cell count, and intramammary pathogen presence were measured weekly. Bedding and teat cleanliness, environmental high and low temperatures, and dew point data were collected daily. The bedding conditioner reduced the pH, but not the DM, of the sawdust bedding compared with untreated sawdust. Overall environmental bacterial counts in bedding were lower for treated sawdust. Total bacterial counts in bedding and on teat ends increased with time over both periods. Compared with untreated sawdust, the treated bedding had lower counts of total gram-negative bacteria and streptococci, but not coliform counts. Teat end bacterial counts were lower for cows bedded on treated sawdust for streptococci, coliforms, and Klebsiella spp. compared with cows bedded on untreated sawdust. The clay-based acidic bedding conditioner reduced environmental pathogens in sawdust bedding and teat ends without affecting teat end integrity.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of bedding material (corn stover, soybean stover, wheat straw, switchgrass, wood chips, wood shavings, corn cobs, and shredded paper) on concentration of odorous volatile organic compounds (VOC) in bedded pack material and to determine the effect of bedding material on the levels of total in laboratory-scaled bedded manure packs. Four bedded packs of each bedding material were maintained for two 6-wk periods ( = 64). Straight- and branched-chained fatty acids and aromatic compounds were measured. Corn cob bedding had the highest concentration of odorous VOC, and wood shavings had the lowest ( < 0.01). Calculated odor activity values were highest for corn cob bedding and shredded paper and lowest for wood shavings ( < 0.01). concentrations decreased from week to week for all treatments from Week 2 to Week 6. At Week 6, levels in bedded packs with shredded paper were higher ( < 0.05) than bedded packs containing wood shavings, wood chips, or switchgrass ( < 0.05). At Weeks 4, 5, and 6, concentrations in bedded packs with wood shavings were lower ( < 0.05) than bedded packs of all treatments except wood chips. Results of this study indicate that ground corn cobs or shredded paper may increase odor production and shredded paper may increase when used in deep-bedded livestock facilities, whereas wood shavings may have the least impact on air quality and .

Wood shavings or chopped straw in American mink dams’ nests did not affect kit survivability (P ≥ 0.51). Straw-housed male kits were lighter at 6 wk (P = 0.01). Shavings nests were better constructed (all P ≤ 0.05); more nest box shavings were lost with juvenile mink (P

An innovative quality assurance method is used to assess the stiffness of the bedding material to a water pipeline located in Texas. The method used is a combination of spectral analysis of surface waves technique (SASW) and geostatistics. SASW tests were conducted to measure the stiffness of pipeline bedding material at 15 sections along the pipeline after different curing periods of 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days. The stiffness measurements from SASW tests are used in geostatistical analysis to determine stiffness properties at untested locations and map the variation of stiffness values along the pipeline. The SASW measurements indicated a significant increase in mean stiffness value of bedding material from 267.5 MPa on day 1 to 442 MPa after a 28-day curing period. The geostatistical analysis predicted and mapped the stiffness of bedding material over the entire pipeline by incorporating the variability present in the known stiffness measurements. This research highlights the adaptability of geosta...

Submitted by Vitor Silverio Rodrigues (vitorsrodrigues@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2014-05-27T11:26:26Z No. of bitstreams: 0Bitstream added on 2014-05-27T14:36:41Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 2-s2.0-84865355009.pdf: 444618 bytes, checksum: 603fbef80b761dcf67d0bf1107c787c5 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2014-05-27T11:26:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-04-01 Broiler chicken production is widely dispersed across the globe, and one important issue for growers is the selection of adequate bedding material, as the availability and price of substrates varies among countries and regions within a same country. This study aimed at applying a multiple criteria analysis approach for the selection of the most appropriate bedding material for broiler production. Based on field research data and growers' experience, the most desirable characteristics of a litter material were chosen as the main criteria. The selected materials were wood shavings, rice husks, chopped Napier grass (Pennisetum pupureum), 50% sugar cane bagasse (Saccharum L.) plus 50% wood shavings, 50% sugar cane bagasse (Saccharum L.) plus 50% rice husks, and pure sugar cane bagasse (Saccharum L.). The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) was applied for selecting the most suitable bedding material. Validation was performed using data from previous studies carried out in central-western Brazil on the effects of different types of bedding material on broiler carcass quality. Considering the selected criteria, several bedding materials were tested and ranked, and the results showed that wood-shavings litter was the best option (weight = 0.28), followed by rice husks (weight = 0.24). All other tested alternatives presented lower scores and were, therefore, not considered for use. The AHP approach was found to be an efficient tool to select the most appropriate litter material under specific scenarios. College of Animal Science Federal University of Grande Dourados - UFGD, Dourados, MS Experimental Unit of Tupã State University of São Paulo - UNESP, Tupã, SP Experimental Unit of Tupã State University of São Paulo - UNESP, Tupã, SP

The effect of wood addition on supercritical water gasification (SCWG) of poultry manure is investigated for broiler-derived wastes consisting of manure and the bedding material such as wood sawdus...

Interest in using recycled manure solids (RMS) as a bedding material for dairy cows has grown in the US Midwest. Cost of common bedding materials has increased in recent years and availability has decreased. Information regarding the composition of RMS and its use as a bedding material for dairy cows in the Midwest is very limited. The objectives of this study were to characterize RMS as a bedding material, observe bedding management practices, document methods of obtaining RMS, and describe housing facilities. We visited 38 Midwest dairy operations bedding freestalls with RMS to collect data. Methods of obtaining RMS for bedding included separation of anaerobic digested manure, separation of raw manure, and separation of raw manure followed by mechanical drum-composting for 18 to 24 h. Average bedding moisture of unused RMS was 72.4% with a pH of 9.16. Unused samples contained (on a dry basis) 1.4% N, 44.9% C, 32.7C:N ratio, 0.44% P, 0.70% K, 76.5% neutral detergent fiber, 9.4% ash, 4.4% nonfiber carbohydrates, and 1.1% fat. Moisture was lowest for drum-composted solids before and after use as freestall bedding. After use in the stalls, digested solids had lower neutral detergent fiber content (70.5%) than drum-composted (75.0%) and separated raw (73.1%) solids. Total N content was greater in digested solids (2.0%) than in separated raw (1.7%) solids. Total bacterial populations in unused bedding were greatest in separated raw manure solids but were similar between digested and drum-composted manure solids. Drum-composted manure solids had no coliform bacteria before use as freestall bedding. After use as bedding, digested manure solids had lower total bacteria counts compared with drum-composted and separated raw manure solids, which had similar counts. Used bedding samples of digested solids contained fewer environmental streptococci than drum-composted and separated raw solids and had reduced Bacillus counts compared with separated raw solids. Coliform counts were similar for all 3 bedding sources. Addition of a mechanical blower post-separation and use of a shelter for storage were associated with reduced fresh-bedding moisture but not associated with bacterial counts. This was the first survey of herds using RMS for bedding in the Midwest. We learned that RMS was being used successfully as a source of bedding for dairy cows. For most farms in the study, somatic cell count was comparable to the average in the region and not excessively high.

This paper presents and discusses the results obtained in laboratory tests to evaluate sagging and filtration behaviour of nonwoven geotextiles overlying particles of different bedding materials. Nonwoven geotextiles with masses per unit area of 200 g/m 2 , 400 g/m 2 and 600 g/m 2 were used in the tests. Stainless steel spheres and gravels were employed as granular materials underlying the geotextile filter. Specific tests to evaluate the intensity of sagging of the geotextile filter in the voids of the underlying material were carried out. Average strains mobilised in the geotextile were assessed in the tests. The grain sizes of the particles that piped through the geotextile filter for different arrangements of spheres as bedding layer for the filter were measured. The results obtained showed that bedding conditions and geotextile structural characteristics can influence its retention capacity. Good comparisons between predicted and measured average geotextile strains were observed.

The ancient Uyghur people before entering the Tarim culture, that has not yet learned to grow cotton before, put the felt used to make houses, coat of important raw materials. As the title of felting Uyghur handicraft industry is a historical necessity, is indispensable for industrial and bedding material, Uygur ancestors felting skills to further develop, felt is not only common household items, and become aesthetic value of art, and also become a valuable asset of Uyghur people. Felt products with decorative designs are the most precious of the felt products. This paper discusses in detail the dye of traditional Uyghur decorative felt, the types of traditional Uyghur decorative felt designs, and sets forth reasons for its preservation.

Sand is a common bedding material used as a resting surface for dairy freestalls because it does not support bacterial growth, and it provides a high degree of comfort to cows. Existing techniques of assessing the comfort of freestall resting surface materials in the field are subjective, so the objective of this study was to evaluate the use of a Clegg Impact Tester as a method to assess the comfort of sand and various other freestall resting surface materials. The Clegg tester was developed to characterize the stiffness of soils and soil-like materials. The Clegg tester displays a Clegg Impact Value (CIV) based on peak deceleration of the hammer’s impact with a surface from a height of 30 cm, which can be related to the design elastic modulus of a given material. A Clegg Impact Soil Tester with a 1-kg hammer was used in this study. Values were recorded for a rubber mat, a soft foam mat, a hard foam mat, and a waterbed and then were compared with values from sand with varying moisture content. The softest resting surface material was the soft foam (1.07 CIV/L) followed by dry sand (moisture content

Bedding materials are very important for cows in freestalls, because they can provide a high degree of comfort to these cows. But techniques of assessing their surface comfort on in the field still remain rather subjective. The objective of this study was to assess softness of bedding materials for use in cow free-stall bases in China. The Clegg Impact values of rubber-coated slatted floor, Solid wood floor and concrete floor are measured in order to compare with the value of pasture. The softest bedding material was the wood (40.43CIV/L) followed by rubber-coated slatted floor (64.23 CIV/L). The hardest material was the concrete floor (132.21 CIV/L).Clegg Impact Tester with a 1-kg hammer was used in this study. The impact of the hammer on bedding materials results in a digital display based on peak deceleration of the hammer’s impact with the free-stall base in tens of gravities (CIV/L). The CIV/L value, as measured by the Clegg Impact hammer, is based on peak deceleration of the 1-kg hammer’s impact with the surface, from a height of 30 cm. The reasonable suggestions of bedding materials used as the free-stall bases are recommended for the farmer in China.