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The aim of this study was to examine the time budgets of 20 lactating primiparous Italian Holstein cows and to determine the relationships between lying and standing behaviour, milk production and Body Condition Score in the first stage of lactation. Parturition period ranged from 15 September to 31 March and in the first seven lactation days all cows were equipped with individual 3-axes acceleration and angular displacement loggers, throughout 150 days for lying and standing behaviour measuring. Body Condition Scores (BCS) were estimated weekly, while milk production (in both morning and evening milking) and humidity and temperature air data were collected daily. Average individual milk yield was 27.3 ± 6.24 kg/d and milking time was 4.95 ± 1.94 min. Individual BCS was on average 3.46 ± 0.30 and standing daily time was 13.5 ± 2.26 h/d. Primiparous cows with BCS at parturition

Dairy cow behavior is affected by external and endogenous factors, including time of year, barn microclimate, time of day and housing. However, little is known about the combined effects of these factors. Data were collected on eight farms in Northern Italy during summer, winter and a temperate season. The temperature-humidity index (THI) was recorded using environmental sensors, whereas cow behavior was monitored using leg accelerometers and cameras. Period, time of day and their interaction all significantly affected lying, standing and feeding behavior. However, although THI had a significant negative effect on lying and a positive effect on standing during daytime (all p < 0.001), during nighttime, it only had a significant negative effect on lying duration and mean lying bout duration (p < 0.001 for both). There was also significant variation between farms in all behavioral parameters, as well as interactions with period and time of day. For instance, farm differences in lying duration were more pronounced during daytime than during nighttime. These findings show how housing can interact with other factors, such as period of the year and time of day, and illustrate the influence of barn structure and farm management on cow behavior and, consequently, their welfare.

Knowledge on the effect of behavior and welfare on dairy cattle’s health and production has been increasing, highlighting the need of satisfactory animals’ living conditions. Among others, the lying time represents a signal for health and welfare status as well as for milk production. In this study, a one-year test on primiparous cows on a dairy cattle farm in Northern Italy was carried out in order to evaluate the effect of lying time on other variables and vice versa. Accelerometers and environmental sensors were installed on animals and in the barn. Weather data were collected from a data station on farm. Statistical analyses were carried out to identify the effect among the monitored variables, showing interesting results on behavior and production of dairy cattle. In particular, the behavior in the first weeks of the lactation period affects the behavior and milk production during the whole lactation.

The aim of this 5-year study was to evaluate the technical, economic, and environmental performances of a collective-based integrated treatment system for bioenergy production and nutrients removal to improve the utilization efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of land applied livestock manure. The study involved 12 livestock production units located in an intensive livestock area designated as nitrate vulnerable zone with large N surplus. The treatment system consisted of an anaerobic digestion unit, a solid&ndash, liquid separation system, and a biological N removal process. Atmospheric emissions and nutrient losses in water and soil were examined for the environmental assessment, while estimated crop removal and nutrient utilization efficiencies were used for the agronomic assessment. The integrated treatment system achieved 49% removal efficiency for total solids (TS), 40% for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), and 41% for total phosphorous (TP). A surplus of 58kWh/t of treated manure was achieved considering the electricity produced by the biogas plant and consumed by the treatment plant and during transportation of raw and treated manure. A profit of 1.61 &euro, /t manure treated and an average reduction of global warming potential by 70% was also achieved. The acidification potential was reduced by almost 50%. The agronomic use of treated manure eliminated the TKN surplus and reduced the TP surplus by 94%. This collective integrated treatment system can be an environmentally and economically sustainable solution for farms to reduce N surplus in intensive livestock production areas.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of feed delivery frequency on the behavior patterns and on milk production of lactating dairy cows. The study was conducted on a commercial dairy farm. Feeding treatments of mixed ration consisted of two different frequencies replicated in two periods. Cows were fed 9 times per day (9×) and 6 times per day (6×). Lying behavior of 24 dairy cows was electronically monitored. Feeding frequency had no effect on the daily lying time and lying bouts. High feeding frequency may disturb the duration of lying bouts and alter the pattern of lying behavior throughout the day, affecting mainly the lying time before and after the provision of fresh feed. The results obtained may indicate that a very high feeding frequency disturbs the cows during their resting periods and thus influences the animal comfort.

This study assessed a novel technique for removing nitrogen from digested organic waste based on a slow release of ammonia that was promoted by continuous mixing of the digestate and delivering a continuous air stream across the surface of the liquid. Three 10-day experiments were conducted using two 50-L reactors. In the first two, nitrogen removal efficiencies were evaluated from identical digestates maintained at different temperatures (30 °C and 40 °C). At the start of the first experiment, the digestates were adjusted to pH 9 using sodium hydroxide, while in the second experiment pH was not adjusted. The highest ammonia removal efficiency (87%) was obtained at 40 °C with pH adjustment. However at 40 °C without pH adjustment, removal efficiencies of 69% for ammonia and 47% for total nitrogen were obtained. In the third experiment two different digestates were tested at 50 °C without pH adjustment. Although the initial chemical characteristics of the digestates were different in this experiment, the ammonia removal efficiencies were very similar (approximately 85%). Despite ammonia removal, the pH increased in all experiments, most likely due to carbon dioxide stripping that was promoted by temperature and mixing. The technique proved to be suitable for removing nitrogen following anaerobic digestion of livestock manure because effective removal was obtained at natural pH (≈8) and 40 °C, common operating conditions at typical biogas plants that process manure. Furthermore, the electrical energy requirement to operate the process is limited (estimated to be 3.8 kW h m−3 digestate). Further improvements may increase the efficiency and reduce the processing time of this treatment technique. Even without these advances slow-rate air stripping of ammonia is a viable option for reducing the environmental impact associated with animal manure management.

This study aimed to examine the influence of feed delivery frequency and environmental conditions on daily time budget of lactating dairy cows. The study was carried out in two commercial dairy farms with Holstein herds. Fifty lactating dairy cows milked in automatic milking units (AMS farm) and 96 primiparous lactating dairy cows milked in a conventional milking parlour (conventional farm) were exposed to different frequencies of feed delivery replicated in different periods of the year (warm and mild) that were characterized by different temperature-humidity indices (THI). On each farm, feeding treatments consisted of two different feed delivery frequencies (1× and 2× on the AMS farm; 2× and 3× on the conventional farm). All behaviours of the cows were monitored for the last 8 d of each treatment period using continuous video recording. The two data sets from different farm systems were considered separately for analysis. On both farms, environmental conditions expressed as THI affected time budgets and the pattern of the behavioural indices throughout the day. The variation in the frequency of feed delivery seems to affect the cow's time budget only in a limited way. Standing time of cows on the conventional farm and the time spent by cows in the milking waiting area on the AMS farm both increased in response to increased feeding frequency. Although feed delivery frequency showed limited influence on cow's time budget, the effect on standing time could be carefully considered, especially on farms equipped with AMS where the type of cow traffic system (e.g., milking first) might amplify the negative consequences of more frequent feed delivery. Further investigations are required to evaluate the effect of THI and feed delivery frequency on other aspects of behavioural activity.

Currently, lying behavior can be assessed using continuous observations from sensors (e.g.: accelerometers). The analysis of digital data deriving from accelerometers is an effective tool for studying livestock behaviors. Despite the large interest in the lying behavior of dairy cows, no reference was found in literature regarding the prediction of lying behavior as a function of the interaction of environmental parameters. The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of climatic conditions (temperature-humidity index, solar radiation, air velocity and rainfalls) on the lying behavior of a group of primiparous dairy cows, using data from accelerometers, and develop a prediction model to identify and predict the lying behavior of dairy cows as a function of the effects of environmental conditions. Results from the. GLM Procedure (SAS) showed that the model was highly significant (p &lt, 0.001) and the r2 was 0.84. All of the effects in the model resulted in being highly significant (p &lt, 0.001). This model, if validated properly, could be a valid early warning system to identify any deviation from the expected behavior, and to assess the effectiveness of thermal stress mitigation strategies.

Additives applied to animal manure slurries can affect the chemical composition and the biological processes of slurries during storage, with possible improvement of their management and reduction of environmental problems. Some new formulations are marketed claiming a nitrogen (N) removal effect due to denitrification, with the consequence of a reduced N content in the manure after storage. This study evaluated the effects of one of these commercial additives (BACTYcomplex) on slurry characteristics and N losses at a commercial piggery. The additive was applied to four different sectors of the piggery, each with an independent under-floor slurry pit; four other sectors served as controls without treatment. Pits were emptied every 4 wk, and the manure was analyzed for total and ammonia-N and total and volatile solids. Slurry samples from the last month of the on-farm assessment were removed and stored thermostatically in vessels external to the piggery. A subsample of slurry that was treated with the additive at the piggery was treated with an additional dose of additive at the beginning of long-term storage. The additive did not change the composition of the slurry during in-house storage (4 wk duration). During the 155 d of external thermostatic storage, the total solids content of treated slurry was reduced by 18% compared with control slurry, but the N content and composition of treated slurry was unaffected. The additive had a positive effect in accelerating the stabilization of the slurry but did not modify N losses.

Among environmental issues related to intensive livestock activity, emissions to air from manure management are of increasing concern. Thus the knowledge of the effect of treatment application on subsequent emissions from manure is required to assess the environment impact of management solutions. This work addresses the effect of anaerobic digestion and phase separation on emissions during storage by studying nitrogen losses from lab-scale stores and field pilot-scale stores of a co-digestate cattle slurry and its respective separated fractions. Lab-scale experiment was carried in temperature-controlled room where each fraction (untreated, separated liquid and separated solid) was stored in duplicate for a period of 32 days in 30 L vessel. Pilot-scale experiment was carried out both during the cold season and during warm season for 90 days of storage. In both experimentations samples of the manure were analysed periodically for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), total ammonia nitrogen, dry matter and volatile solids and pH. These analyses allow estimating nitrogen losses in different storage conditions. Effects of mechanical separation and season were assessed by ANOVA (Wilcoxon test, P

Monitoring cow behaviour has become increasingly important in understanding the nutrition, production, management of the well being, and overall health of dairy cows. Methods of assessing behavioural activity have changed in recent years, favouring automatic recording techniques. Traditional methods to measure behaviour, such as direct observation or time-lapse video, are labour-intensive and time-consuming. Automated recording devices have become increasingly common to measure behaviour accurately. Thus, the development of automated monitoring systems that can continuously and accurately quantify feeding behaviour are required for efficient monitoring and control of modern and automated dairy farms. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible use of a 3D accelerometer to record feeding behaviour of dairy cows. Feeding behaviour (feeding time and number of visits to the manger) of 12 lactating dairy cows was recorded for approximately 3 h with 3D-accelerometer data loggers (HOBO Pendant G logger). The sensors were positioned in the high part of the neck to monitor head movements. Behaviour was simultaneously recorded using visual observation as a reference. Linear regression analysis between the measurement methods showed that the recorded feeding time (R2=0.90, n=12, P2=0.31, n=12, P

Emissions of ammonia and greenhouse gases from animal manure are an environmental concern and new techniques should be carefully examined to establish their effect on emissions across the whole management continuum, including storage operations. Biogas plants are becoming more common at farm facilities and the management of digestate raises some concerns regarding potential emissions to the air when mechanical separation is adopted. The aim of this study was to evaluate how mechanical separation affects ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from the storage of different fractions obtained from separation of codigested pig and cattle slurries. A laboratory scale experiment was carried out in a temperature controlled room where 25 L of unseparated digestate and the relative solid and liquid fractions were stored in duplicates for 32 days at 17 °C. Each manure was sampled weekly for chemical analysis (total nitrogen, ammoniacal nitrogen, total solids, volatile solids and pH). Potential emissions from agitated samples were estimated twice a week using a dynamic chamber technique and acid traps for ammonia and a trace gas analyser for carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Results from chemical analyses indicated that mechanical separation of digested manure increased nitrogen losses during storage when both separated fractions are taken into account, by 35 and 86% for the pig and cattle slurries, respectively. However, the flux measurements from the agitated samples showed that there was a lower potential for ammonia emissions during storage for the separated fractions than the digested unseparated slurry (9 and 23% reductions for the pig and cattle slurries, respectively), probably due to the lower TAN concentration of the liquid fraction. The treatment resulted in a significant reduction (40%) of GHG emissions for cattle slurries but had no consistent effect for pig effluents. The results of this study suggest that adoption of mitigation techniques should be considered for the management of the liquid and solid fractions of digestates in order to reduce the increased environmental impact during storage.

Management factors affect nutrient loss during animal manure slurry storage in different ways. We conducted a pilot-scale study to evaluate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) losses from unseparated and digested dairy slurry during winter and summer storage. In addition to season, treatments included mechanical separation of digestate into liquid and solid fractions and bimonthly mixing. Chemical analyses were performed every 2 wk for the mixed materials and at the start and end of storage for unmixed materials. The parameters examined allowed us to estimate C and N losses and examine the factors that determine these losses as well as emission patterns. Gas measurements were done every 2 wk to determine the main forms in which gaseous losses occurred. To evaluate the effect of separation, measured losses and emissions of separated liquid and solid fractions were mathematically combined using the mass separation efficiency of the mechanical separator. Nutrient losses were mainly affected by climatic conditions. Losses of C (up to 23%) from unseparated, unmixed digestate and of N (38% from combined separated fractions and from unseparated digestate) were much greater in summer than in winter, when C and N losses were7%. Mixing tended to significantly increase N losses (0.1) only in winter. Mechanical separation resulted in lower GHG emissions from combined separated fractions than from unseparated digestate. Results indicate that to maximize the fertilizer value of digested slurry, dairy farmers must carefully choose management practices, especially in summer. For separated digestates, practices should focus on storage of the liquid fraction, the major contributor of C and N losses (up to 64 and 90% of total losses, respectively) in summer. Moreover, management practices should limit NH, the main form of N losses (up to 99.5%).

Behavioral monitoring may be useful to assess the welfare, state of health and comfort of farm animals. Lying behavior is often used as an indication of well-being in cattle and for evaluating the stall quality. The use of electronic data loggers to automate behavioral recording has become increasingly common. We tested the use of the Pedometer Plus tag (S.A.E. Afikim, Israel) for measuring the lying behavior of dairy cattle (n=18 lactating cows). Behavior was recorded for 11 days with the Pedometer Plus tag, from which the rest bout, bout duration and rest time were calculated. The lying behavior was simultaneously recorded using a HOBO Pendant G logger as a reference system to validate the Pedometer Plus tag. A linear regression analysis between the measurement methods showed that the recorded lying time (R2≥0.948) and the recorded number of lying bouts (R2≥0.718) were closely related, which was also confirmed by the comparison of the means (lying time, P=0.60; lying bouts, P=0.72). Despite the positive relationship, in some days, slope and intercept were statistically different from 1 and 0, respectively. The recordings of lying time and the number of lying bouts between the devices, for some cows, differed by more than 5%. The Pedometer Plus tag overestimates the number of lying bouts and underestimates the time that cows spend lying down with respect to HOBO pendant G logger recording. The different sampling, editing and filtering methods between devices may contribute to these discrepancies. This system will be advantageous for the reliable, 24 h/d automated recording of individual animals in a herd. This system reduces the difficulty of performing continuous measurements of behavior for a large number of animals over a prolonged period of time. In summary, the Pedometer Plus tag is likely a useful tool for the measurement of lying behavior in dairy cows.

The objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate the validity of automated monitoring systems as assessment method for the behavioral activity of dairy cows compared with video recording, and 2) determine the sampling intervals required to obtain reliable estimates of the daily behavior. To determine lying, standing, and walking, 12 cows were equipped with automatic recording devices (IceTag = 12 cows, HOBO Pendant G = 5 cows), and their behavior was simultaneously recorded using a video recording system. The correspondence between the IceTag, HOBO logger, and video recording data was analyzed using 2 × 2 contingency tables, and we determined the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value (positive and negative). Both types of loggers demonstrated high sensitivity (Sen ≥ 0.961) and specificity (Sp ≥ 0.951) for lying and standing behaviors with predictive values near 1.00. The HOBO logger can accurately describe the laterality of lying behavior, whereas the IceTag device inadequately recorded walking, with probability predictive values ≤ 0.303. Daily behaviors of the dairy cows were compared for 10 different sampling intervals (1 s, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 15, 30, and 60 min) collected by the IceTag, using linear regression. A strong relationship (R(2) ≥ 0.978) was found between the total lying times from data on a per-second basis and estimates obtained by 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, and 15 min sampling intervals. The sampling intervals of 1 and 2 min were comparable for all aspects of lying behavior (R(2) ≥ 0.813; P > 0.05 for slope = 1, intercept = 0). Long sampling intervals (30 and 60 min) showed positive relationship for estimating time spent lying and standing (R(2) ≥ 0.774), but were inappropriate for predicting these behaviors, because they lacked accuracy and precision. Both the IceTag and HOBO logger accurately measured all aspects of lying and standing behavior. Reliable estimates of lying and standing time can be generated using relatively short interval lengths (e.g., 3, 4, 5, 10, or 15 min). Shorter sampling intervals (≤ 2 min) are required to accurately measure aspects of lying behavior such as number of lying bouts per day. The automated monitoring systems are time- and labor-saving tools that can be used by research or on farm to assess cow comfort related to lying behavior.

Behavioural activity is used as an indication of animal comfort, and lying and standing behaviours are often used as a sign of well-being in cattle and to evaluate the quality of stalls. The aim of this study was to compare the values of different behavioural indices at different scan-sampling frequencies and to evaluate the different methods of data aggregation that are used to obtain daily behavioural indices. The lying, standing, feeding and drinking behaviours of 69 cows in a free-stall barn were recorded over 7 days using continuous video recording. The temperature humidity index (THI) was recorded at 15-min intervals during the entire experimental period. Behavioural indices were calculated based on scan sampling intervals of 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120-min, as well as for different time periods during the day. The results highlighted how lying, standing and feeding behaviours can be properly interpreted by analysing images taken on an hourly basis (highly correlated with 10, 20 and 30-min scan samples; r > 0.85, P 0.898, P

Research on feeding management in more competitive free-stall settings indicates that frequency of delivery of fresh feed stimulates feed bunk attendance and can affect other aspects of cows’ time budgets apart from feeding such as time spent standing vs. lying down. The objective of this study was to examine how the frequency of feed delivery affects the behavior in two farms, one with a conventional and one with automatic milking system (AMS). The feeding frequency was varied from two to three times per day in the conventional dairy farm; one to two times per day in the AMS farm. The experiment was carried out in two different seasons. All behaviours of the cows were monitored in continuous by video recording. As expected, behavioral indices have been significantly affected by environmental conditions both in conventional farm and AMS farm. The variation in the frequency of feed delivery seems to affect the cow behavioural activity only in a limited way and modify only slightly the daily averages of the time spent in different activities mainly increasing the time cows spend standing (+4- 5%).

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of feeding frequency on milk production, dry matter intake (DMI) and cow behaviour on two dairy farms with conventional and automatic milking systems (AMS) in different environmental conditions. Cows on two farms were monitored. On the first farm, 96 primiparous cows were milked in a herringbone parlor while on the second a group of nearly 50 cows were milked in two AMS with a forced traffic. On each farm, treatments consisted of two different frequencies of total mixed ration (TMR) delivery (2 vs 3 on the conventional farm; 1 vs 2 on the AMS farm) replicated in two different periods of the year with THI of 72.6 and 60.7, respectively. The behaviour of the cows was monitored by continuous video recording. Statistical analysis was performed separately for the two farms. Increasing the frequency of TMR deliveries did not result in any variation in DMI but significantly improved milk yield on both farms. The increase in feeding frequency at the bunk in the AMS farm mitigated the negative effect of hot conditions on production with a 7.6% increase in milk yield. Feeding frequency did not influence cow behaviour on either farm. Hot conditions showed a depressive effect on DMI (nearly 8% on both farms) compared with thermoneutral conditions but caused a reduction in milk yield (an average 17%) only on the farm with multiparous high-producing cows milked automatically. In the hot period, cows on both farms showed a reduction in daily lying time and an increase in daily standing time.