Diurnal Behaviour, Health and Hygiene of Dairy Cows in Compost Barn Systems Under Different Climates in Argentina: A Bayesian Approach

Gabriela Marcela Martinez (), Pablo Viretto, Georgina Frossasco, Víctor Humberto Suarez, Ayoola Olawole Jongbo, Edgar de Souza Vismara and Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira ()
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Gabriela Marcela Martinez: Facultad de Cs. Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta 4403, Argentina
Pablo Viretto: Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Rafaela, Santa Fe S2300, Argentina
Georgina Frossasco: Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Rafaela, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Rafaela, Santa Fe S2300, Argentina
Víctor Humberto Suarez: Facultad de Cs. Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Salta, Salta 4403, Argentina
Ayoola Olawole Jongbo: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Dois Vizinhos 86812-460, Paraná, Brazil
Edgar de Souza Vismara: Coordenação do Curso de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Dois Vizinhos 86812-460, Paraná, Brazil
Frederico Márcio Corrêa Vieira: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná, Dois Vizinhos 86812-460, Paraná, Brazil

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: Compost barn systems are relevant alternatives to discussing production efficiency, welfare, and sustainability in dairy farming. However, studies evaluating these systems in different climates are still scarce, especially in subtropical climate zones. Here, we assess whether dairy cows’ behaviour, health and hygiene in compost barn systems are influenced by different climatic conditions and calving orders in Argentina’s central and extra-Pampean basins from the perspective of Bayesian inference. We evaluated dairy cows (n = 40) in a compost barn system simultaneously at two locations in Argentina: Rafaela and Salta. The following variables were evaluated: environmental factors, animal behaviour, respiratory rate, udder and hock hygiene, and locomotion degree of milking cows. There was a total of 10 primiparous cows and 10 multiparous cows at each location, randomly selected, which were in the first third of lactation (<90 DIM). Using Bayesian inference, we observed that Rafaela had a temperature-humidity index (THI) above 70, and Salta had a milder environment, with lower average temperature and higher relative humidity. Thus, climatic interference is evident in behaviour, triggering more behavioural and physiological mechanisms for heat abatement in primiparous females in Rafaela. At the same time, the mild conditions in Salta led to better thermal energy transfer by multiparous females compared to primiparous cows. This shows that the microclimate could interfere with the social hierarchy of cows when they are under heat stress. These findings highlight the importance of considering both calving orders and climate when designing management strategies for dairy systems.

Keywords: dairy production; biometeorology; ethology; Pampean basin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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