Short communication: Bacterial counts in recycled manure solids bedding replaced daily or deep packed in freestalls

Bacterial counts on teat skin and in new sand, recycled sand, and recycled manure solids used as bedding in freestalls.

On modern dairy farms, environmental mastitis pathogens are usually the predominant cause of mastitis, and bedding often serves as a point of exposure to these organisms. The objective of this longitudinal study was to determine bacterial populations of 4 different bedding types [deep-bedded new sand (NES), deep-bedded recycled sand (RS), deep-bedded manure solids (DBMS), and shallow-bedded man...

Sand or Sawdust? Bacterial counts in bedding

What have we learned about using recycled manure solids for bedding?

Organic bedding sources are becoming more expensive and difficult to find. Sand can be considered the ideal bedding source for dairy cows; however, not all producers consider sand a feasible alternative for their operation. Inherent properties of sand can make it difficult to handle in some manure systems. Large amounts of bedding can be obtained from mechanical liquidsolid separation of manure...

Short communication Fungal contamination of bedding

Asthma prevalence has increased progressively over the past three decades in the UK. Numerous theories have been promulgated including the hygiene hypothesis, additional exposure to house dust mite etc., none of which have been substantiated on detailed study. An association with fungal exposure is less well studied. It is often assumed that such exposures generally occur outside, apart from mo...

Associations of selected bedding types with incidence rates of subclinical and clinical mastitis in primiparous Holstein dairy cows.

The objective of this observational study was to determine the association of exposure to selected bedding types with incidence of subclinical (SM) and clinical mastitis (CM) in primiparous Holstein dairy cows housed in identical pens at a single facility. At parturition, primiparous cows were randomly assigned to pens containing freestalls with 1 of 4 bedding materials: (1) deep-bedded new san...