In order to reduce straw input, soft lying mats are used increasingly instead of straw bedding in cubicle systems for dairy cows. This study aimed at comparing different types of soft lying mats with straw bedding regarding cow behaviour and leg injuries. Data were collected on five farms with straw bedding and on 13 farms using four types of soft lying mats consisting of different materials. O...

landfill and incineration are two common methods mostly used for disposal of huge quantities of solid wastes. the bioconversion ability of earthworms in vermicomposting process of organic waste in different types of bedding materials was investigated to produce more valuable products as an economical and effective alternate method for solid waste management. in this work organic waste (obtained...

The objective of the study was to determine whether, under controlled conditions, bedding materials vary in their ability to support growth of different environmental pathogens independent of the presence of feces, urine, or other contamination. Five sterilized bedding materials (fine hardwood chips, recycled dried manure, chopped newspaper, softwood sawdust, and chopped straw) and three bacter...

In rodents, social and reproductive behaviors critically depend on chemical signals, including sexual pheromones that have been suggested (but not demonstrated) to be rewarding. In this work, we analyze this issue by studying the chemoinvestigatory behavior of adult female mice (without experience with male-derived chemicals) toward 1) the synthetic odorant citralva, 2) bedding soiled by differ...

Identification and eradication of murine fur mite infestations are ongoing challenges faced by many research institutions. Infestations with Myobia musculi and Myocoptes musculinus can lead to animal health problems and may impose unwanted research variables by affecting the immune and physiologic functions of mice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utility and efficacy of soiled be...

Method Twenty female Sprague Dawley rat (SD rat) were randomly divided into two groups according to their bedding types. The 1 group was raised in wood shaving bedding as a control and 2 one was in corncob bedding as an endocrine disrupting agent. Each group was checked daily for the first day of vaginal opening, and their vaginal smears were collected to determine estrous cyclicity after vagin...

Our objective in this study is to compare 4 of the most common bedding materials used by equine operations on the chemical and physical characteristics of composted equine stall waste. Twelve Standardbred horses were adapted to the barn and surrounding environment for 2 wk before the start of the study. Groups of 3 horses were bedded on 1 of 4 different bedding types (wood shavings, pelletized ...

Farm management practices that reduce the prevalence of food-borne pathogens in live animals are predicted to enhance food safety. To ascertain the potential role of livestock bedding in the ecology and epidemiology of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on farms, the survival of this pathogen in used-sand and used-sawdust dairy cow bedding was determined. Additionally, a longitudinal study of mature dair...

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of straw, sawdust, coconut husk (husk), and coconut fiber (fiber) on the welfare of stable horses by observing their resting behavior. Twenty horses with ages ranging from 3 to 21 years were used at the Equine Research Institute of the Japan Racing Association, Utsunomiya, Japan. Five horses were allocated to each bedding condition. The ...

We tested the effects of eight site preparation treatments on early growth and survival of container-grown longleaf pine (Pinuspalustris Mill.) seedlings. Treatments included an untreated check, six combinations of two initial vegetation control treatments (chopping or herbicide) with three planting site conditions (flat [no additional treatment], mounding, or bedding), and a more intense treat...