Compost bedded-pack barn as an alternative housing system for dairy cattle in Italy: effects on animal health and welfare and milk and milk product quality

Figures & data

Figure 1. Hygiene scores in CB-housed and FB-housed dairy cows. ***=statistical significance (p < .001). CB: compost barn; FB: free-stall barn.

Figure 2. Behaviour assessment in CB-housed and FB-housed dairy cows. (A) Incidence of behaviour types. (B) Incidence of lying positions. (C) Avoidance test. **=statistical significance (p < .01). ***=statistical significance (p < .001). CB: compost barn; FB: free-stall barn.

Figure 3. Somatic cell count (SCC) in CB-housed and FB-housed dairy cows. **=statistical significance (p < .01). CB: compost barn; FB: free-stall barn.

Table 1. Physicochemical and bacterial analyses of CB and FB bedding materials.

	CB			FB
Characteristics	May	July	October	May
T, °C	35.10 (31.95–39.00)	24.70 (21.15–35.03)	30.60 (29.18–33.15)	NA
pH	8.31	8.91	8.93	8.42
Humidity, %	45.85	39.33	59.19	77.63
Organic C, % DM	6.71	5.78	15.48	20.30
Organic N, % DM	2.76	2.40	4.43	1.08
C/N	2.43	2.40	3.49	18.80
Salinity, μS/cm^2	3062	3251	40136	3270
Ammonia, mg/kg	2.77	28.70	906.35	1196.58
Salmonella spp., CFU/25 g	Absent	Absent	Absent	Absent
Faecal streptococci, CFU/g	140,000	135,000	3,750,000	3,800,000
Enterobacteriaceae, CFU/g	4,300,000	3,950,000	485,000,000	600,000,000
Vital microorganisms, (CFU/g)	220,000,000,000	213,000,000,000	500,000,000,000	500,000,000,000
FA + HA, % p/p DM	23.29	8.91	16.80	11.41

CB: compost barn; FB: free-stall barn; C: carbon; N: nitrogen; C/N: carbon to nitrogen ratio; DM: dry matter; FA + HA: fulvic and humic acids; CFU: colony-forming units; T: temperature.

Temperature data are expressed as median and interquartile range (IQR, 25–75%).

Table 2. Characteristics and bacteriological findings of the pasteurised milk obtained from CB-housed and FB-housed cows.

	Time (m)	pH	TBC (CFU/mL)	Coliforms (CFU/g)
CB	32.00 (31.00–33.00)	6.72 (6.70–6.75)	21,500 (20,000–30,000)^a	310.00 (212.50–400.00)
FB	33.00 (32.00–35.00)	6.73 (6.70–6.75)	35,000 (30,000–41,500)^b	425.00 (312.50–487.50)

CB: compost barn; FB: free-stall barn; TBC: total bacterial count.

Data are expressed as median (median value of the 16 analyses per each housing system) and interquartile range (IQR, 25–75%). Medians with different superscript letters (a, b) within the same column differ significantly (p < .05).

Table 3. Characteristics and bacteriological findings of cheese made from the pasteurised milk obtained from CB-housed and FB-housed cows.

	Bra				Toma				Raschera
	Time (m)	pH	TBC (CFU/mL)	Coliforms (CFU/g)	Time (m)	pH	TBC (CFU/mL)	Coliforms (CFU/g)	Time (m)	pH	TBC (CFU/mL)	Coliforms (CFU/g)
CB	33.00 (31.00–33.50)	6.74 (6.72–6.77)	30,000 (21,000–36,500)^a	320.00 (265.00–372.50)^a	31.00 (30.00–32.00)	6.70 (6.68–6.73)	20,000 (18,750–21,000)^a	290.00 (200.00–1,125)^a	33.00 (32.00–34.50)	6.72 (6.70–6.74)	30,000 (18,500–31,500)^a	400.00 (200.00–525.00)^a
FB	35.00 (32.50–35.50)	6.75 (6.73–6.77)	38,000 (32,000–41,000)^b	400.00 (320.00–475.00)^b	33.00 (32.00–33.50)	6.71 (6.70–6.76)	32,500 (13,750–55,000)^b	725.00 (337.50–1,275)^b	32.00 (31.50–34.00)	6.72 (6.71–6.74)	35,000 (27,000–43.000)^b	350.00 (225.00–450.00)^b

CB: compost barn; FB: free-stall barn; TBC: total bacterial count.

Data are expressed as median (median value of the 16 analyses per each housing system) and IQR (25%-75%). Medians with different superscript letters (a, b) within the same column differ significantly (p < .05).