Behaviour, hygiene, and lameness of dairy cows in a compost barn during cold seasons in a subtropical climate

Abstract This study aimed to assess the thermal environment, behaviour, hygiene, and lameness in dairy cows with different numbers of lactations housed in a compost-bedded pack barn system in a humid subtropical climate during autumn and winter. Between April and July 2016, behavioural and microclimatic environment assessments were conducted in a compost barn system, and hygiene and lameness assessments were performed. Crossbred cows in lactation (n = 10) were divided into two groups according to the number of lactations: primiparous and multiparous. Air temperature, relative humidity, and air ventilation speed were measured at 09:00, 12:00, and 15:00. The cows’ hygiene and lameness were evaluated using subjective scores ranging from 1 to 4 and 1 to 5, respectively. The daytime behaviour assessment was performed as sampling 0/1, using the focal method. Primiparous cows showed a greater probability of walking (P<0.05) than multiparous cows between 09:20 and 11:20, and at 15:20, and increased the water intake at 14:00. Regarding the eating behaviour and the effect of time of day within each group (P<0.05), the cows ate more in the morning’s early hours. The cows’ hygiene scores were 1 or 2, and most cows presented scores of 1 or 2 for lameness. Our research has shown that microclimatic variables may influence the walking behaviour and water intake of primiparous cows during the hottest periods of the day, even during cold weather, in a humid subtropical climate. The dairy cows showed low hygiene and lameness scores, which indicates that the compost bar positively influenced cleanliness and locomotion comfort.

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Thermoregulatory and Behaviour Responses of Dairy Heifers Raised on a Silvopastoral System in a Subtropical Climate

Annals of Animal Science ◽

10.2478/aoas-2019-0074 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (2) ◽

pp. 613-627 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Frederico Márcio C. Vieira ◽

Matheus Deniz ◽

Edgar S. Vismara ◽

Piotr Herbut ◽

Jaqueline A. Pilatti ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Temperature ◽

Air Temperature ◽

Water Intake ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Subtropical Climate ◽

Silvopastoral System ◽

Hair Coat ◽

Dairy Heifers ◽

Temperature Humidity Index ◽

Humidity Index

AbstractIn this study, we investigated the influence of a silvopastoral system on the thermal environment, behaviour and thermoregulation of dairy heifers in a subtropical climate. The experiment was conducted on a dairy farm in Southwest Paraná, Brazil, during the summer of 2014. Crossbred Holstein × Jersey dairy heifers (n = 10) were used in a split-plot design. The fixed effects in this study include time of day (9:00–10:00, 13:00–14:00, and 17:00–18:00 h) under silvopastoral or open pastures conditions, which were the main-plot and split-plot factors, respectively. To assess the environmental conditions in both systems, air temperature, relative humidity and wind speed were recorded. In addition, the temperature-humidity index was calculated based on the microcli-mate measurements. Respiratory rate and hair coat surface temperature of heifers were measured in both groups during time of day (30 days). Diurnal behaviour using focal observations with 0/1 sampling was observed. Data were analysed using Bayesian inference with a mixed effects model. The air temperature was higher (P<0.05) in open pasture conditions than the silvopasture system. Temperature-humidity index values for the silvopasture system were lower than open pasture during the hottest hours of the day. Regarding thermoregulation responses, there was an interaction between time of day and pasture environment (P<0.05). Heifers showed lower respiratory rates and hair coat surface temperature values (P<0.05) when access to shade was provided, mainly during the hottest periods in the afternoon. In addition, there was also an interaction between rumination and water intake (P<0.05), which indicates a higher rumination frequency for animals in the silvopasture system during the hottest period, as well as a higher water intake frequency for heifers in open pasture during midday. These findings imply that the arrangement of trees in a silvopasture system provides better thermal comfort conditions for dairy heifers raised in a subtropical climate.

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Investigations on the water intake of lactating dairy cows

Livestock Production Science ◽

10.1016/j.livprodsci.2004.03.005 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 90 (2-3) ◽

pp. 117-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Ulrich Meyer ◽

Matthias Everinghoff ◽

Dieter Gädeken ◽

Gerhard Flachowsky

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Water Intake ◽

Lactating Dairy Cows

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The effect of acute fat and glucose administration on cognition and mood: Moderating role of time of day and eating behaviour

Appetite ◽

10.1016/j.appet.2007.09.040 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 50 (2-3) ◽

pp. 561 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

E.K. Jones ◽

S.I. Sünram-Lea

Keyword(s):

Eating Behaviour ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Glucose Administration ◽

Moderating Role

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Some evidence of a time-varying thermal perception

Indoor and Built Environment ◽

10.1177/1420326x211034563 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1420326X2110345

Author(s):

Marika Vellei ◽

William O’Brien ◽

Simon Martinez ◽

Jérôme Le Dréau

Keyword(s):

Thermal Comfort ◽

Energy Savings ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Thermal Conditions ◽

Time Of Day ◽

Time Varying ◽

Thermal Perception ◽

Indoor Thermal Environment ◽

Human Circadian Rhythm ◽

Comfort Criteria

Recent research suggests that a time-varying indoor thermal environment can lead to energy savings and contribute to boost buildings' energy flexibility. However, thermal comfort standardization has so far considered thermal comfort criteria as constant throughout the day. In general, very little attention has been given to the ‘ time of day' variable in the context of thermal comfort research. In this paper, we show some evidence of a time-varying thermal perception by using: (1) data from about 10,000 connected Canadian thermostats made available as part of the ‘ Donate Your Data' dataset and (2) about 22,000 samples of complete (objective + ‘ right-here-right-now' subjective) thermal comfort field data from the ASHRAE I and SCATs datasets. We observe that occupants prefer colder thermal conditions at 14:00 and progressively warmer ones in the rest of the day, indistinctively in the morning and evening. Neutral temperature differences between 08:00 and 14:00 and 14:00 and 20:00 are estimated to be of the order of 2°C. We hypothesize that the human circadian rhythm is the cause of this difference. Nevertheless, the results of this study are only based on observational data. Thermal comfort experiments in controlled environmental chambers are required to confirm these findings and to better elucidate the effects of light and circadian timing and their interaction on thermal perception.

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Daily energy balance and eating behaviour during a 14-day cold weather expedition in Greenland

Applied Physiology Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1139/apnm-2019-0677 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 45 (9) ◽

pp. 968-977 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Keyne Charlot ◽

Didier Chapelot ◽

Philippe Colin ◽

Cyprien Bourrilhon

Keyword(s):

Energy Balance ◽

Energy Intake ◽

Food Preference ◽

Eating Behaviour ◽

Cold Weather ◽

Visual Analog Scales ◽

Reward Value ◽

Daily Energy ◽

Energy Compensation ◽

Cold Energy

We assessed energy compensation, appetite, and reward value of foods during a 14-day military expedition in Greenland realized by 12 male French soldiers, during which energy compensation was optimized by providing them with easy-to-eat palatable foods in excess. Although daily energy expenditure (estimated by accelerometry) stayed relatively constant throughout the expedition (15 ± 9 MJ·day−1), energy intake (EI; estimated by self-reported diaries) was 17% higher during the D8–D14 period compared with the D1–D7 period, leading to a neutral energy balance (EB). Body fat mass (BFM) significantly decreased (–1.0 ± 0.7 kg, p < 0.001) but not body mass (BM). Neither hunger scores (assessed by visual analog scales) nor components of the reward value of food (explicit liking (EL) and food preference) were significantly altered. However, changes in EL at D10 were positively correlated with changes in BM (r = 0.600, p < 0.05) and BFM (r = 0.680, p < 0.05) and changes in hunger in the EI of the relevant period (r = 0.743, p < 0.01 for D1–D7, r = 0.652, p < 0.05 for D8–14). This study shows that the negative EB and BM loss can be attenuated by an appropriate food supply and that subjective components of eating behaviour, such as hunger and EL, may be useful to predict the magnitude of energy compensation. Novelty Energy intake increases during of a 14-day expedition in the cold. Energy compensation was likely facilitated by providing participants with easy-to-eat palatable and familiar foods. Hunger scores and EL for energy-dense foods were associated with high EIs and low BM changes.

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Study on the improvement of indoor hot and humid environment in Tibetan-style residential areas in northwest Sichuan

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202016504074 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 165 ◽

pp. 04074

Author(s):

Sun Yidan

Keyword(s):

Relative Humidity ◽

Solar Radiation ◽

Wall Temperature ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

Cold Weather ◽

Living Room ◽

Residential Areas ◽

The West ◽

Solar Radiation Intensity ◽

Indoor And Outdoor

Indoor and outdoor thermal environment is under a definite impact on the human body, and to a large extent affects the comfort of people living. In this paper, the indoor and outdoor thermal and humidity parameters of Dongma village in the west of Sichuan Province were measured. On the living room and bedroom hot and humid comfort survey, the outside wall temperature and the local climate to do analysis, get January Dongma village typical residential indoor humidity environment, including the temperature of the living room is 6.6~19.5°C, the relative humidity is 28.9~45.3%rH, the bedroom temperature is 3.5~19.8°C, the relative humidity is 35.7~52.8%rH, the outdoor temperature is 2.4~27.4°C, the temperature in the east is -11.1~-3.3°C, -3.9~11.2°C at the west, -8~2.8°C at the south, -10.4~-2.5 °C at the north, 1.6~29.2 °C at the roof, and the solar radiation intensity is 422~739W/m^2. Combined with the above data, it is found that the overall insulation performance of the wall is good, but by the influence of the cold weather outside, the indoor temperature is still low, it is difficult to respond to the comfort needs of residents. The wall temperature is altered due to solar radiation. In view of the current situation of the indoor thermal environment in Dongma village, a series of optimization suggestions are submitted at the end of the paper.

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