The Effect of Air Temperature and Time of Day on Distribution of Czech Fleckvieh Cows Within the Barn

The effect of air temperature and time of day on distribution of Czech Fleckvieh cows within the barn was studied on a dairy farm located in the south of Moravia, CR, (49°12'31.875"N, 16°23'43.146"E). The cows were loose-housed in a barn with stalls. The floor surface was made of separated manure. The observation was carried out in one of the four sections (100 cows) of the barn (total 400 cows). The observed section was visually divided into two parts - left L (situated centrally) and right R (situated peripherally). Video camera images (the total of 5304 images were evaluated) revealed the distribution of cows within the barn and the presence of cows in parts A or B. The air temperature was monitored by temperature sensors. At lower temperatures (up to 19.00 °C), the distribution of cows within the barn was even, at higher temperatures, the cows had a distinct tendency to crowd in L side of the barn (up to 100% of them). The cows were scattered evenly around the barn up to 10.00 in the morning and after 19:01 in the evening. During the day between 10.00 and 19.01, the cows tended to group in L part (up to 100% of them). They never grouped in R part. It was found out that changes in distribution of cows within the barn were associated with both air temperature and time of day. The changes in mean air temperature during the day were defined as y = 0.000002x4 - 0.0005x3 + 0.0412x2 - 0.8876x + 18.515 (where y = air temperature and x time of day in hours) with R2 = 0.957.