WATER CONSUMPTION IN LACTATING COWS HOUSED IN COMPOST-BEDDED PACK BARNS

Código

XXVI-SBRH0056

Autores

julio cesar pascale palhares, Rafael Araújo Nacimento

Tema

A - Planejamento e Gestão de Recursos Hídricos e Segurança Hídrica

Resumo

Compost-bedded pack barns (CBP) have become increasingly popular as a good system to improve animal welfare and manure management. Because it is a system with a higher level of intensification, it increases the water demand. The aims of the study were (i) evaluate the water consumption of lactating cows kept in compost-bedded pack barns in commercial farms; (ii) suggest values of the indicator liters of water per liters of milk; (iii) propose a mathematical model to predict the daily water consumption of lactating cows. A total of four CBP commercial dairy farms underwent comprehensive water monitoring from January 2021 to January 2025. The database comprises 140 records. The water measured was free water lactating cow?s intake. The monitoring utilized continuous flow of analog water meters. The highest average water intake of lactating cows was 101.2 L cow1 day-1, while the lowest was 78.3 L cow1 day-1. A significant difference was observed between means (p < 0.05). The indicator of liters of water per liter of milk varied from 2.5 to 3.6 L water L milk day-1. The model proposed in this study accounts for a significant portion of the variation in water consumption (27.8%), surpassing existing models in the literature. The proposed model represents a substantial advancement in the prediction of daily water consumption by lactating cows in CBP system. The findings of this study enable stakeholders in dairy production to manage water resources on farms with enhanced precision.