Comparison of bacterial populations in bedding material, on teat ends, and in milk of cows housed in compost bedded pack barns

Abstract

The objective of this study was to observe relationships among somatic cell count (SCC) and bacteria counts in milk, on teat ends of lactating cows, and in compost samples from the aerated layer of the compost bedded pack. Twenty-nine lactating cows were used in this study. Clinically mastitis cows were not selected for the trial. The correlation between total bacteria count (TBC) and Streptococcus spp. of teat end and hygiene score was (r = 0.49) and (0.44, P = 0.01), respectively. In addition, there was a positive correlation (0.40, P = 0.03) between TBC on teat ends and somatic cell score. When analysing bacterial populations on teat ends and in milk, there was a positive correlation (0.39, P = 0.03) between Escherichia coli at the teat end and coliform counts in milk and also a positive correlation (0.38, P = 0.04) between coliform counts at the teat end and milk. Furthermore, Streptococcus spp. counts on teat end were positively correlated (0.38, P = 0.04) with TBC in milk. Although correlations were observed between hygiene score and SCC with bacterial population, all correlations were moderate. Therefore, hygiene score was not an efficient tool to estimate bacterial populations on teat end and milk.

Properties of conventional and alternative bedding materials for dairy cattle

“…The third cluster consists of bedding materials with a medium-sized fraction, primarily containing particles of 2 to 8 mm. This cluster includes husk samples (barley, wheat, and spelt), which are alternative bedding materials, and wood shavings, which are conventional bedding materials (Smith et al, 2017;Albino et al, 2018;Ahn et al, 2020). Notably, more than 96% of the spelt husk particles fall in this interval.…”

Cow's functional traits and physiological status and their relation with milk yield and milk quality in a compost bedded pack barn system

“…The CBP potentially reduces SCS (Black et al, 2013;Black et al, 2014), which relies on the appropriate management of the compost bed, tilling it at least two times a day and regularly adding new carbon-source materials (Endres, 2009). On the other hand, an improper bed management can increase udder dirtiness by the adherence of bedding material to the udder (Fávero et al, 2015;Albino et al, 2018). The cleanliness of the lactating cows indicates the capacity of the CBP in keeping the udder clean resulting in a lower incidence of clinical and subclinical mastitis (Eckelkamp et al, 2016a).…”

“…Under the conditions of this study, it can be verified that the variables of cleanliness and lameness scores do influence SCS and, indirectly, the milk composition (Table 4). A higher cleanliness score is related to a higher risk of development of mastitis due to a higher exposure of the mammary gland to contaminants (Albino et al, 2018). The lameness score is also related to greater udder dirtiness.…”

“…The housing system is one of the factors that have an impact on milk and solids production, once improvements to the welfare of lactating cows increase milk and solids yield after the reduction or elimination of stressors that negatively influence milk yield and quality. The lameness score, for example, might be improved by a reduction of digital lesions, and a better udder cleanliness score would lead to an improved milk quality (Fávero et al, 2015;Albino et al, 2018). The last one, apart from facilitating milking procedure, is also related to improvements of the immunity of lactating cows, reducing the SCS as a variable that has a significant economic impact on the dairy production chain (Black et al, 2013;Ruegg and Pantoja, 2013;Black et al, 2014;Cardozo et al, 2015;Eckelkamp et al, 2016a).…”

“…Improper compost bed management can increase bed humidity and decrease its temperature (Endres, 2009). These issues predispose the occurrence of digital lesions, as well as greater udder dirtiness by the adhesion of bedding material to the udder (Klaas et al, 2010;Fávero et al, 2015;Albino et al, 2018), which can increase SCC (Albino et al, 2018) and put mammary gland health at risk (Black et al, 2014).…”