Department of Farm Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, the Netherlands.
J Dairy Sci. 2011 Oct;94(10):4878-88. doi: 10.3168/jds.2010-4019.
The aim was to obtain data regarding the effects of 4 freestall bedding materials (i.e., box compost, sand, horse manure, and foam mattresses) on cow comfort and risks for lameness and mastitis. The comfort of freestalls was measured by analyzing the way cows entered the stalls, the duration and smoothness of the descent movement, and the duration of the lying bout. The cleanliness of the cows was evaluated on 3 different body parts: (1) udder, (2) flank, and (3) lower rear legs, and the bacteriological counts of the bedding materials were determined. The combination of the cleanliness of the cows and the bacteriological count of the bedding material provided an estimate of the risk to which dairy cows are exposed in terms of intramammary infections. The results of the hock assessment revealed that the percentage of cows with healthy hocks was lower (20.5 ± 6.7), the percentage of cows with both damaged and swollen hocks was higher (26.8 ± 3.2), and the severity of the damaged hock was higher (2.32 ± 0.17) on farms using foam mattresses compared with deep litter materials [i.e., box compost (64.0 ± 10.4, 3.5 ± 4.7, 1.85 ± 0.23, respectively), sand (54.6 ± 8.2, 2.0 ± 2.8, 1.91 ± 0.09, respectively), and horse manure (54.6 ± 4.5, 5.5 ± 5.4, 1.85 ± 0.17, respectively)]. In addition, cows needed more time to lie down (140.2 ± 84.2s) on farms using foam mattresses compared with the deep litter materials sand and horse manure (sand: 50.1 ± 31.6s, horse manure: 32.9 ± 0.8s). Furthermore, the duration of the lying bout was shorter (47.9 ± 7.4 min) on farms using foam mattresses compared to sand (92.0 ± 12.9 min). These results indicate that deep litter materials provide a more comfortable lying surface compared with foam mattresses. The 3 deep litter bedding materials differed in relation to each other in terms of comfort and their estimate of risk to which cows were exposed in terms of intramammary infections [box compost: 17.8 cfu (1.0(4)) ± 19.4/g; sand: 1.2 cfu (1.0(4)) ± 1.6/g; horse manure: 110.5 cfu (1.0(4)) ± 86.3/g]. Box compost had a low gram-negative bacterial count compared with horse manure, and was associated with less hock injury compared with foam mattresses, but did not improve lying behavior (lying descent duration: 75.6 ± 38.8s, lying bout duration: 46.1 ± 18.5 min). Overall, sand provided the best results, with a comfortable lying surface and a low bacterial count.
目的是获得四种卧床垫料（即箱式堆肥、沙子、马粪和泡沫床垫）对奶牛舒适度以及跛行和乳腺炎风险的影响数据。通过分析奶牛进入畜栏的方式、下降运动的持续时间和流畅性以及卧倒时间来测量畜栏的舒适度。奶牛的清洁度在三个不同的身体部位进行评估：（1）乳房，（2）侧腹，和（3）后下肢，并确定垫料的细菌计数。奶牛的清洁度和垫料的细菌计数结合起来，可以评估奶牛在乳腺炎方面的感染风险。后跗关节评估的结果表明，健康后跗关节的奶牛比例较低（20.5%±6.7%），受损和肿胀后跗关节的奶牛比例较高（26.8%±3.2%），受损后跗关节的严重程度也较高（2.32±0.17）在使用泡沫床垫的农场，而不是深层垫料[即箱式堆肥（64.0%±10.4%、3.5%±4.7%、1.85%±0.23%，分别）、沙子（54.6%±8.2%、2.0%±2.8%、1.91%±0.09%，分别）和马粪（54.6%±4.5%、5.5%±5.4%、1.85%±0.17%，分别）]。此外，与使用沙子和马粪的深层垫料相比，使用泡沫床垫的农场的奶牛躺下所需的时间更多（140.2±84.2s）（沙子：50.1±31.6s，马粪：32.9±0.8s）。此外，与沙子相比，泡沫床垫的卧倒时间更短（47.9±7.4min）（92.0±12.9min）。这些结果表明，与泡沫床垫相比，深层垫料提供了更舒适的卧床表面。三种深层垫料在舒适度和奶牛乳腺炎感染风险方面存在差异[箱式堆肥：17.8 cfu（1.0(4)）±19.4/g；沙子：1.2 cfu（1.0(4)）±1.6/g；马粪：110.5 cfu（1.0(4)）±86.3/g]。箱式堆肥的革兰氏阴性菌计数低于马粪，与泡沫床垫相比，后跗关节受伤程度较低，但对卧倒行为没有改善（卧倒下降持续时间：75.6±38.8s，卧倒持续时间：46.1±18.5min）。总的来说，沙子提供了最佳的结果，具有舒适的卧床表面和较低的细菌计数。
