Bakterietillväxt i strömedel till mjölkkor

Abstract: The resting area is the most important place in the barn for the dairy cow, sometimes called the heart of the free stall system. Inadequate design of the lying area, and lack of or poor quality of bedding materials may reduce the hygiene of the stall. Poor management regarding the cleanliness of the resting area may lead to poor animal hygiene and increased bacterial growth. This in turn will lead to increased risk for environmental mastitis as well as impairing milk quality through contamination with spores. In this literature study the most commonly used bedding materials; straw, sawdust, wood shavings, clean sand, recycled sand, peat and recycled manure solids, are compared to one another with regards to their ability to resist bacterial growth. Effects of adding hydrated lime to bedding materials have also been studied. Most bacteria need humidity and prefer a quite high water activity to be able to grow. In addition, bacteria need sources of energy and organic nutrients and obtain these from carbon and nitrogen compounds. Studies show that there is a difference between organic and inorganic bedding materials with regard to their function as a bacterial substrate. Organic bedding has shown to be more susceptible for bacterial growth. In conclusion the composition of bedding material is of great importance in the maintenance of dairy cow health. In this study a difference between bedding materials in their ability to enhance bacterial growth has been observed.