IoT Monitoring of Indoor Air Quality in Dairy Goat Barns: The Role of Building Characteristics and Litter Management

TL;DR

This study uses IoT sensors to monitor air quality in dairy goat barns, showing how building design and litter management affect environmental conditions and animal welfare.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel use of IoT sensors in precision livestock farming for monitoring air quality in dairy goat barns.

Findings

Building design and litter management significantly affect air quality parameters like CO2, NH3, and PM2.5.

Air quality thresholds for goat health were met, but low temperatures on one farm in winter could cause stress.

IoT sensors enable data-driven interventions to improve animal welfare in barns.

Abstract

Although the air quality inside barns plays a significant role in animal welfare, there is still limited information available regarding dairy goat barns. To fill this knowledge gap, we studied two goat farms in northern Italy in both summer and winter. The farms had different types of buildings and cleaned the bedding at different frequencies. We used smart sensors, known as Internet of Things (IoT) devices, to measure air quality by tracking carbon dioxide, ammonia, particulate matter, temperature and humidity. Our findings revealed that the design of the barns, particularly the management of openings such as windows, along with the frequency of bedding changes, and the season, had a significant impact on air quality parameters. On both farms, air quality remained within the recommended levels for the health and comfort of the goats. However, temperatures were quite low on one farm during winter, which could have stressed the animals. This study demonstrates the impact of different factors on environmental conditions within goat barns and shows how smart farming technology can assist farmers in monitoring these conditions, thereby improving the animals’ care and comfort.

Air quality in livestock housings impacts animal welfare; however, information on air quality in dairy goat barns is still limited. The air quality and environmental conditions of two farms in northern Italy were monitored for seven days after litter renewal in both summer and winter. The farms had different barn designs and litter replacement frequencies. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors were used to measure CO2, NH3, PM2.5, temperature and humidity. Results suggest that building structure, particularly the management of openings, along with litter replacement frequency, and season, significantly affect gas concentrations, while PM2.5 seems to be more related to the external conditions. The recommended thresholds for goat health and welfare were all met (537 vs. 778 ppm for CO2, 1.78 vs. 3.29 ppm for NH3 and 3.4 vs. 12.7 µg m−3 for PM2.5 in Farms A and B, respectively). The low average temperature humidity index values recorded in winter at Farm A (45.9) suggest potential cold stress, which could be mitigated through improved barn opening management. Our research introduces a novel use of IoT sensors in the frame of precision livestock farming to monitor air quality in goat barns, allowing data-driven interventions to improve animal welfare.

Figures