Influence Of Various Litter Materials And Premises Characteristics On The Comfort And Behavior Of Cows
Abstract
O. O. Borshch, O. V. Borshch, L. T. Kosior, L. V. Pirova, I. O. Lastovska
The article presents the results of investigations of the influence of different types and variants of application of litter material (chopped straw, sawdust, not shredded straw and deep straw bedding) on the comfort of the conditions of keeping and reacting the daily behavior of dairy cows. It is established that the most comfortable for rest among the investigated variants is the maintenance on a deep long-changeable substrate. Under such a maintenance technique, the indicators of the length of rest in the lying position and the number of cows that feed the feed immediately after it was distributed and the milking prevails these indicators obtained by other technologies, since animals are not limited in time and within the recreation areas and have a slightly larger feeding front, which directly influences the processes of milk production. It was revealed that for keeping cows on deep, long-swaddling litter, the smallest number of cases of humidity of resting places, in comparison with other variants of litter. This maintenance technology ensures the uniform application of chopped straw in the range of 6-10 kg per cow throughout the area of the resting place. It was established that by the complex indices, which characterize the comfort of the contents, hygienic assessment and the position of the tibia, the best indicators were for the maintenance of cows on deep litter. For this type of litter animals differed in less pollution of the sides, udder and limbs in comparison with other variants. <