IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i23p10408-d1531299.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Reduced Manure Treatment Needs with Compost-Bedded Pack Systems in Dairy Cows

Author

Listed:
  • Kellen R. Oliveira

    (Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil)

  • Marcelo S. Rodrigues

    (Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil)

  • Luís H. R. Silva

    (Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil)

  • Poliana T. R. Salgado

    (Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil)

  • Alex L. Silva

    (Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil)

  • Polyana P. Rotta

    (Department of Animal Science, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa 36570-900, Brazil)

Abstract

The compost-bedded pack (CBP) system offers a sustainable solution for dairy farms by enhancing cow welfare and health while promoting environmental sustainability and improving manure management for agricultural reuse. This study aimed to evaluate the reduction in manure treatment required for agricultural use by analyzing manure excretion patterns in lactating cows. We compared seven Holstein and six Holstein × Gyr cows, divided into two CBP groups, and monitored their feces and urine behaviors over a 48 h period. Manure excretion was recorded across four farm areas: (1) feeding area, (2) resting area (composted bed), (3) path to the milking parlor, and (4) milking parlor. Both breeds predominantly excreted feces (45.03%) and urine (54.18%) in the resting area, which facilitated composting directly in the bedding. This resulted in a significant reduction in nitrogen requiring treatment, averaging 76.8–85.3 g per cow per day, accounting for 44–49% of total nitrogen excretion. The CBP system demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing environmental impact by minimizing nitrogen loss through volatilization and leaching, while also enhancing nutrient recycle in agriculture. These findings emphasize the CBP system’s role in foresting sustainable dairy farming and environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Kellen R. Oliveira & Marcelo S. Rodrigues & Luís H. R. Silva & Poliana T. R. Salgado & Alex L. Silva & Polyana P. Rotta, 2024. "Reduced Manure Treatment Needs with Compost-Bedded Pack Systems in Dairy Cows," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-10, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10408-:d:1531299
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10408/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/23/10408/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10408-:d:1531299. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.