Manure leachate production and change in manure weight during the storage depending on the amount of bedding

Abstract

In the experiment, a group of 10 dairy cows was housed in a pen bedded with various amounts of wheat straw (5.2-13 kg/cow per day). The resulting mixture of feces, urine and bedding was stored in cubic containers with a volume of 1.5 m3. At regular intervals, the containers containing manure were weighed and manure leachate production was assessed. Daily changes in individual monitored variables over time in accordance with the amount of bedding per livestock unit per day (1 livestock unit = 500 kg live weight) were modelled using nonlinear mixed regression models. It was determined that manure weight changes and daily production of manure leachate released from manure stored in containers were related to storage duration and bedding amount in a statically significant manner. The results support the hypothesis that the amount of bedding has a statistically significant effect on the properties of manure stored in a manure pile.