Measurement of Methane and Ammonia Emissions from Compost-Bedded Pack Systems in Dairy Barns: Tilling Effect and Seasonal Variations.

Dairy cattle contribute to environmental harm as a source of polluting gas emissions, mainly of enteric origin, but also from manure management, which varies among housing systems. Compost-bedded pack systems use manure as bedding material, which is composted in situ daily. As current literature referring to their impact on NH and CH emissions is scarce, this study aims to characterize the emissions of these two gases originating from three barns of this system, differentiating between two emission phases: static emission and dynamic emission.

Study of nitrogen fluxes across conventional solid floor cubicle and compost-bedded pack housing systems in dairy cattle barns located in the Mediterranean area: Effects of seasonal variation.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of housing system (or manure management system) and season on manure N recovery and volatilization using an N mass balance. Dietary, milk, and manure N were monitored together with outside temperatures in 6 dairy barns. Three barns were designed as conventional freestalls (cubicle, CUB) with an automatic manure scraper system and concrete floor, in which the gutter in the middle was continuously scraped (every 2-4 h) and the slurry was conveyed toward an open-air concrete pool.