Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation
Although active ventilation via fans is an effective and widely adopted heat abatement method for use with adult dairy cattle, it has yet to be investigated in outdoor hutch-housed dairy calves despite most US calves being raised in such systems. We investigated a solar-powered fan system for outdoo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | JDS Communications |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910223000935 |
| _version_ | 1797374078632329216 |
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| author | Bethany Dado-Senn Jennifer Van Os Joao Dorea Jimena Laporta |
| author_facet | Bethany Dado-Senn Jennifer Van Os Joao Dorea Jimena Laporta |
| author_sort | Bethany Dado-Senn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although active ventilation via fans is an effective and widely adopted heat abatement method for use with adult dairy cattle, it has yet to be investigated in outdoor hutch-housed dairy calves despite most US calves being raised in such systems. We investigated a solar-powered fan system for outdoor calf hutches and its effect on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation. During summer, a 3 × 3 Latin square was replicated 4 times (n = 12 preweaning heifers) with 4-d exposure periods to minimally (CON; rear windows closed), passively (PASS; rear windows opened), or actively (ACT; solar-powered fan, activated at dry bulb temperature [Tdb] > 21°C) ventilated hutch systems. Hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation were evaluated either continuously (Tdb, humidity, rectum surface temperature, and behavior) or after a daily 30-min inside restriction (air speed, air particle number, noise level, respiration, and sweating rate, and skin and rectal temperature). Active ventilation substantially increased hutch air speed relative to PASS and CON (1.76 vs. 0.19 vs. 0.05 m/s). However, PASS hutches had the lowest INT Tdb (27.2 vs. 26.4 vs. 27.8°C), whereas ACT INT Tdb was reduced at 0900 and 1000 h relative to CON but not PASS. Similarly, ACT reduced calf respiration rates and lowered rectum surface temperature at 0800 and 0900 h when compared with CON but not PASS. The lack of strong ACT influence on calf outcomes over PASS could partially be explained by the decreased proportion of time ACT calves spent inside their hutch (48.7 vs. 67.3 vs. 64.1% of each hour). Overall, ACT improved hutch microclimate and calf responses relative to CON but not PASS. Either ACT or PASS ventilation may be sufficient to provide heat abatement to continental hutch-housed calves. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-38a84e6f91e846178c32813aad3775b5 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2666-9102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | JDS Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-38a84e6f91e846178c32813aad3775b52023-12-28T05:19:59ZengElsevierJDS Communications2666-91022024-01-01516166Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulationBethany Dado-Senn0Jennifer Van Os1Joao Dorea2Jimena Laporta3Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, 53597Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, 53597Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, 53597Corresponding author; Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, 53597Although active ventilation via fans is an effective and widely adopted heat abatement method for use with adult dairy cattle, it has yet to be investigated in outdoor hutch-housed dairy calves despite most US calves being raised in such systems. We investigated a solar-powered fan system for outdoor calf hutches and its effect on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation. During summer, a 3 × 3 Latin square was replicated 4 times (n = 12 preweaning heifers) with 4-d exposure periods to minimally (CON; rear windows closed), passively (PASS; rear windows opened), or actively (ACT; solar-powered fan, activated at dry bulb temperature [Tdb] > 21°C) ventilated hutch systems. Hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation were evaluated either continuously (Tdb, humidity, rectum surface temperature, and behavior) or after a daily 30-min inside restriction (air speed, air particle number, noise level, respiration, and sweating rate, and skin and rectal temperature). Active ventilation substantially increased hutch air speed relative to PASS and CON (1.76 vs. 0.19 vs. 0.05 m/s). However, PASS hutches had the lowest INT Tdb (27.2 vs. 26.4 vs. 27.8°C), whereas ACT INT Tdb was reduced at 0900 and 1000 h relative to CON but not PASS. Similarly, ACT reduced calf respiration rates and lowered rectum surface temperature at 0800 and 0900 h when compared with CON but not PASS. The lack of strong ACT influence on calf outcomes over PASS could partially be explained by the decreased proportion of time ACT calves spent inside their hutch (48.7 vs. 67.3 vs. 64.1% of each hour). Overall, ACT improved hutch microclimate and calf responses relative to CON but not PASS. Either ACT or PASS ventilation may be sufficient to provide heat abatement to continental hutch-housed calves.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910223000935 |
| spellingShingle | Bethany Dado-Senn Jennifer Van Os Joao Dorea Jimena Laporta Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation JDS Communications |
| title | Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation |
| title_full | Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation |
| title_fullStr | Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation |
| title_short | Actively ventilating calf hutches using solar-powered fans: Effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation |
| title_sort | actively ventilating calf hutches using solar powered fans effects on hutch microclimate and calf thermoregulation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666910223000935 |
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