Assessing the Temperature Conditions and Behavioral Habits in a Farm to Ensure Cattle Welfare
Abstract
In contemporary agriculture, it is imperative to comprehend the environmental factors and behavioral patterns of cattle, as their productivity and well-being are impacted by temperature fluctuations. The compost barn system has become increasingly popular due to its capacity to improve animal welfare and quality of life. To evaluate animal comfort and perhaps improve management, the use of compost barns in dairy farms demands extensive research on thermal conditions and behavior. In addition to evaluating the cows' standing and laying habits through photographs, this investigation attempted to define the temperature environment in a microbial farm during each of the four seasons. In Raipur, the Indian capital of Chhattisgarh, a compost barn utilized the experiment's location. The inclusion requirements for ensuring cow well-being on farms include things like proper ventilation, sufficient shelter that access to a clean and consistent water supply, which are used to evaluate the general temperature along with cow behavior in an ideal range. The temperature and humidity index (HI) was computed after daily data from different seasons were gathered for the year-round experiment. The interior of the cows' barn was filmed and the footage was visually and automatically processed to evaluate the behavior of the cattle. The study correctly recognized cow behavior over the study period, indicating that the largest mean levels of HI occurred in the afternoon and fall, matching with the animals' apparent inclination to spend the majority of the day lying down on the bed. The study focuses on the complex relationship between temperature and cattle behavior, providing useful insights into the elements influencing their well-being.
References
Peixoto, M. S. M., Barbosa Filho, J. A. D., Farias Machado, N. A., Viana, V. D. S. S., & Costa, J. F. M. (2021). Thermoregulatory behavior of dairy cows submitted to bedding temperature variations in Compost barn systems. Biological Rhythm Research, 52(7), 1120-1129. https://doi.org/10.1080/09291016.2019.1616904
Machado, N. A., Da Costa, L. B., Barbosa-Filho, J. A., De Oliveira, K. P., De Sampaio, L. C., Peixoto, M. S., & Damasceno, F. A. (2021). Using infrared thermography to detect subclinical mastitis in dairy cows in compost barn systems. Journal of thermal biology, 97, 102881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2021.102881
Odore, R., Biasato, I., Gardini, G., D’Angelo, A., & Bellino, C. (2021). Effects of compost-bedded pack barn on circulating cortisol and beta-endorphins in dairy cows: A case study. Animals, 11(11), 3318. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113318
O’Brien, D., Capper, J. L., Garnsworthy, P. C., Grainger, C., & Shalloo, L. (2014). A case study of the carbon footprint of milk from high-performing confinement and grass-based dairy farms. Journal of Dairy Science, 97(3), 1835-1851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113318
Liu, Z., Yang, Y., Song, C., Zhou, H., Chen, Z., Liu, Z., ... & Wang, D. (2023). The surface quality, microstructure, and properties of SS316L using a variable area scan strategy during quad-laser large-scale powder bed fusion. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 871, 144450. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2022.144450
Lima, A. R. C., Silveira, R. M. F., Castro, M. S. M., De Vecchi, L. B., da Rocha Fernandes, M. H. M., & de Resende, K. T. (2022). Relationship between thermal environment, thermoregulatory responses, and energy metabolism in goats: A comprehensive review. Journal of Thermal Biology, 109, 103324. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103324
Ma, S., Yao, Q., Masuda, T., Higaki, S., Yoshioka, K., Arai, S., ... & Itoh, T. (2021). Development of noncontact body temperature monitoring and prediction system for livestock cattle. IEEE Sensors Journal, 21(7), 9367-9376. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2021.3056112
Leso, L., Barbari, M., Lopes, M. A., Damasceno, F. A., Galama, P., Taraba, J. L., & Kuipers, A. (2020). Invited review: Compost-bedded pack barns for dairy cows. Journal of Dairy Science, 103(2), 1072-1099. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-16864
Jha, R., Fouhse, J. M., Tiwari, U. P., Li, L., & Willing, B. P. (2019). Dietary fiber and intestinal health of monogastric animals. Frontiers in veterinary science, 6, 48. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00048
Brito, L. F., Oliveira, H. R., McConn, B. R., Schinckel, A. P., Arrazola, A., Marchant-Forde, J. N., & Johnson, J. S. (2020). Large-scale phenotyping of livestock welfare in commercial production systems: A new frontier in animal breeding. Frontiers in genetics, 11, 793. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2020.00793
Becker, C. A., Collier, R. J., & Stone, A. E. (2020). Invited review: Physiological and behavioral effects of heat stress in dairy cows. Journal of dairy science, 103(8), 6751-6770. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2019-17929
Batista, P. H. D., de Almeida, G. L. P., Pandorfi, H., da Silva, M. V., da Silva, R. A. B., da Silva, J. L. B., ... & de Moraes Rodrigues, J. A. (2021). Thermal images to predict the thermal comfort index for Girolando heifers in the Brazilian semiarid region. Livestock Science, 251, 104667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2021.104667
Leliveld, L., Riva, E., Mattachini, G., Finzi, A., Lovarelli, D., & Provolo, G. (2022). Dairy cow behavior is affected by period, time of day and housing. Animals, 12(4), 512. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12040512
Berry, R. J., Kennedy, A. D., Scott, S. L., Kyle, B. L., & Schaefer, A. L. (2003). Daily variation in the udder surface temperature of dairy cows measured by infrared thermography: Potential for mastitis detection. Canadian journal of animal science, 83(4), 687-693. https://doi.org/10.4141/A03-012
Tullo, E., Mattachini, G., Riva, E., Finzi, A., Provolo, G., & Guarino, M. (2019). Effects of climatic conditions on the lying behavior of a group of primiparous dairy cows. Animals, 9(11), 869. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9110869
Damasceno, F. A., Oliveira, C. E. A., Ferraz, G. A. S., Nascimento, J. A. C., Barbari, M., & Ferraz, P. F. P. (2019). Spatial distribution of thermal variables, acoustics and lighting in compost dairy barn with climate control system. Agronomy Research, 17, 385-395. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-023-02538-9
LaFollette, M. R., Riley, M. C., Cloutier, S., Brady, C. M., O'Haire, M. E., & Gaskill, B. N. (2020). Laboratory animal welfare meets human welfare: A cross-sectional study of professional quality of life, including compassion fatigue in laboratory animal personnel. Frontiers in veterinary science, 7, 114. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.00114
Lovarelli, D., Tamburini, A., Mattachini, G., Zucali, M., Riva, E., Provolo, G., & Guarino, M. (2020). Relating lying behavior with climate, body condition score, and milk production in dairy cows. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7, 565415. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.565415
Peng, D., Chen, S., Li, G., Chen, J., Wang, J., & Gu, X. (2019). Infrared thermography measured body surface temperature and its relationship with rectal temperature in dairy cows under different temperature-humidity indexes. International journal of biometeorology, 63, 327-336. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-018-01666-x
Laurindo, G. M., Ferraz, G. A. E. S., Damasceno, F. A., Nascimento, J. A. C. D., Santos, G. H. R. D., & Ferraz, P. F. P. (2022). Thermal Environment and Behavior Analysis of Confined Cows in a Compost Barn. Animals, 12(17), 2214. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12172214
Sahu, B. K., Parganiha, A., & Pati, A. K. (2022). Time-of-day and seasonal variations in foraging behavior of street cattle of urban Raipur, India. Biological Rhythm Research, 53(5), 786-800. https://doi.org/10.1080/09291016.2020.1794646
