This study aimed to determine whether Syrian (golden) hamsters, Mesocricetus auratus, prefer certain bedding materials and whether bedding material can affect paw condition, body weight gain and wheel-running activity. In a first experiment, 26 male hamsters had access to two connected cages, each cage containing a different bedding material (either pine shavings, aspen shavings, corn cob or wo...

Six farms using different types of dried manure solid (DMS) strategies, including a farm that had side-by-side pens using sand and DMS, participated in a study to assess the impact on herd health of using DMS as bedding on dairy farms in the Northeast. Samples of unused and used bedding were taken over the course of a year and analyzed for bacterial content and physical properties. Mastitis and...

Introduction Reports of bedding shortages in the poultry industry and escalating costs can be traced back more than 60 years. This situation has often occurred in the more concentrated broiler producing areas such as the Delmarva Peninsula and the Shenandoah Valley. With rising production capacity over the years the demand for bedding by poultry industry increased. At the same time there have b...

Mass generation rates of ammonia, moisture, and heat production were measured for mice that were housed in standard shoebox cages at a density of five mice per cage and maintained in either a 35% or 75% room relative humidity. Two mouse strains kept on two different types of bedding materials were compared when bedding material had been in the cages for two, six, and ten days. Gas exchanges dir...

Black rhino numbers have decreased greatly since the early 1970s, primarily as a result of poaching. A recent strategy to protect rhinos in Kenya has been to establish fenced sanctuaries. This has increased the rhino population and that of other species, but problems have emerged because of limited dispersal and rising animal densities. Unfortunately, how rhino utilize habitat, especially areas...

Vermiculite, pine shavings and unbleached eucalyptus pulp contact-bedding were compared using the number of litters and individuals born and weaned, mortality rates at different stages of the lactation period, and the weight increase of pups as evaluation indices for bedding quality. These bedding materials exerted different effects on the reproductive performance of the same mouse strain. The ...

Many concentrated poultry-producing areas of the USA including the Delmarva Peninsula have shortages of quality pine-base bedding materials. Yet, there are often ample supplies of cost-effective hardwood sawdust (HW) that could supplement this deficit. However, the poultry industry has been reluctant to use HW due to periodic mold-induced respiratory health concerns. A demonstration was impleme...

The effect of bedding levels and trailer compartment on internal trailer temperature and relative humidity (RH) during loading and transport of finishing pigs was evaluated in cold and mild weather. Three levels of bedding were used in each experiment: 0.6 m³, 1.2 m³, and 2.4 m³. In mild weather, internal temperatures were lower when 1.2 m³ or 2.4 m³ of bedding were used during loading and tran...

BACKGROUND The house dust mite is the most important environmental allergen implicated in the aetiology of childhood asthma in the UK. Dust mite barrier bedding is relatively inexpensive, convenient to use, and of proven effectiveness in reducing mattress house dust mite load, but no studies have evaluated its clinical effectiveness in the control of childhood asthma when dispensed in primary c...