Franziska Christ, Diana Schneider, Sarah Schneider

4th meeting of the International Network Equine ScienceVelp, 23rd of October 2018

Cost efficiency of wood pellets used as a horse bedding material

Structure Introduction Material and methods Results and discussion Summary Conclusion

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Properties of the bedding materials straw and wood shavings have been described in numerous studies e.g. HAIDN ET AL. 2002, HÄUßERMANN ET AL. 2002, NÄGELE 2013, VAN DER WEGHE ET AL. 2008

The usage of wood pellets as a bedding material has barely been studied

The work management of different bedding materials should be compared to reduce costs (HAIDN ET AL. 2002)

The horse‘s behaviour should follow the time budget of free-roaming horses (PIRKELMANN ET AL. 2008)

Bad air in the stables should be avoided since the respiratory system of horses is extremely sensitive to specific gases and dust (FLEMING 2007)

3INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Aim of this study:

Comparing the cost efficiency of wood pellets used in single boxes to the cost efficiency of wheat straw and wood shavings considering the horse’s behaviour and the climate in the

stables

4INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Data was collected for the parameters labour time input amount of bedding material used the horse‘s time budget dust and ammonia concentration

Research was done in 14 single boxes on a farm in the South of Germany

5INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Data collection was divided into three periods: Period 1: 2/08 – 8/08/16 Usage of straw and shavings

Period of 4 weeks for the horses to get used to the wood pellets Period 2: 5/09 – 12/09/16 Usage of wood pellets, exception: 2 control boxes

The amount of bedding material used was documented manually

6INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Measurement of the labour time input Application of the time element method (JUNGBLUTH et al. 2005)

An Excel Add-In was used The time was measured invariably by the same person while the tasks

were invariably executed by the same workers The labour time input was measured on 3 days for each bedding

material

Cost comparison calculation total costs = labour costs + material costs Labour costs were composed of the minimum wage for the German

agriculture and the employer's contribution to the social insurance = 10,27 €/h

7INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

The time budget was analysed via 24 h video recording of 13 boxes with the LED day and night infrared camera ‘VFKUP-700/311/R’ (VC)

Dust measurements: Use of the ‘DustTrak Aerosol Monitor Model 8520’ (TSI Incorporated)

Ammonia concentrations were measured with the concentration measuring instrument ‘M.A.C 2240’ (ANSYCO)

8INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Data analysis Statistic software R and Microsoft Excel 2010 were used Used tests: Shapiro-Wilk test Generalised linear model Wilcoxon test

Level of significance: p < 0.05

9INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Tab. 1: Material costs

10INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Unit Pellets Shavings StrawDaily amount of bedding material bags/packs/kg per horse and day 0,50 0,57 13,64Annual amount of bedding material dt/horse and year 26,03 49,43 50,31Price €/dt plus VAT 21,67 € 21,96 € 12,00 € Material costs €/horse and year 563,88 € 1.085,30 € 603,76 €

Fig. 1: Annual labour time input per horse

11INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Fig. 2: Correlation between the labour time input for the mucking out of the boxes in min/d and the bedding material

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GLM: * = p < 0.05** = p < 0.01*** = p < 0.001

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

min

/d

Pellets Shavings Straw

Fig. 3: Total costs per horse and year for the usage of wood pellets, wood shavings and straw

13INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

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Fig. 5: Duration of the different behaviours showed per day (min.)

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Wilcoxon test: * = p < 0.05** = p < 0.01*** = p < 0.001

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Fig. 6: Dust concentrations (mg/m³) caused by the different bedding materials

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Usual dust rate: 0.2 – 0.8 mg/m³(MEYER ET AL. 2014)

Wilcoxon test: * = p < 0.05** = p < 0.01*** = p < 0.001

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Fig. 7: Ammonia concentrations (ppm) caused by the different bedding materials

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Limit value NH3:10 ppm(BMELV 2009)

Wilcoxon test: * = p < 0.05** = p < 0.01*** = p < 0.001

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Costs could notably be reduced by using wood pellets as a bedding material for horses kept in single boxes

Regardless of the labour costs per hour, the usage of wood pellets caused the lowest total costs

The time that the horses spent laying reduced due to the usage of wood pellets

The dust and ammonia concentrations were highest for the usage of wood pellets, but did not nearly reach the limit values

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

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Of the studied aspects the economical advantages of the wood pellets stood out

The measurements of the climate in the stables did not show disadvantages of any bedding material

It should be researched whether the horses would show longer lying times due to a long term usage of wood pellets

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

Thank you foryour attention!

References:Bundesministerium für Ernährung, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz (BMELV) (2009): Leitlinien zur Beurteilung von Pferdehaltungen unter Tierschutzgesichtspunkten. Bonn, BMELVFleming, K.; Hessel, E.F.; Van der Weghe, H. (2007):Gasbildung und Staubentwicklung aus verschiedenen Einstreumaterialien für die Pferdehaltung. Landtechnik 62 (4), S. 238 - 239, https://www.landtechnik-online.eu/ojs-2.4.5/index.php/landtechnik/article/view/2007-4-238-239/1669&sa=D&ust=1537109206481000&usg=AFQjCNEkuAfGO6idoLm7UAwuNoLH4wTlNAHaidn, B.; Berger, N.; Gruber, V.; Lindenau, G. (2002): Arbeitszeitbedarf für die Pensionspferdehaltung in landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben. Darmstadt, Kuratorium für Technik und Bauwesen in der Landwirtschaft e.V. (KTBL), KTBL-Sonderveröffentlichung 041Häußermann, A.; Beck, J.; Jungbluth, T. (2002): Einstreumaterialien in der Pferdehaltung. Landtechnik 57(1), S. 50/51Jungbluth, T.; Büscher, W.; Krause, M. (2005): Technik Tierhaltung – Grundwissen Bachelor. Stuttgart, Verlag Eugen UlmerMeyer, H.; Coenen, M.; Vervuert, I.: Pferdefütterung. 5. vollständig überarbeitet Auflage, Stuttgart: Enke Verlag, 2014Nägele, A.M.: Untersuchungen zur Einstreureduktion in Pferdeboxen unter ethologischen und pferdegesundheitlichen Gesichtspunkten. Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Umwelt Nürtingen-Geislingen, Bachelorarbeit, Mai 2013Pirkelmann, H.; Ahlswede, L.; Zeitler-Feicht, M.H.: Pferdehaltung. 1. Auflage, Stuttgart: Eugen Ulmer KG, 2008Van der Weghe, H.; Hessel, E.; Fleming, K.; Bockisch, F.-J.; Hoffmann, G.: Schlussbericht – Alternative Einstreumaterialien zur Reduzierung der gas- und partikelförmigen Emissionen in der Pferdehaltung und Prävention von Atemwegserkrankungen bei Pferden. Georg-August-Universität Göttingen und Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut, 31.10.2008Zeitler-Feicht, M.H.: Handbuch Pferdeverhalten – Ursache, Therapie und Prophylaxe von Problemverhalten. Stuttgart: Eugen Ulmer KG, 2015

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Fig. 4: Maximal price adjustment for each bedding material

INTRODUCTION – MATERIAL AND METHODS – RESULTS AND DISCUSSION – SUMMARY – CONCLUSION

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Misten 59,13 607,27 € 63,88 656,00 € 77,32 794,07 € Komplettentmistung 1,00 10,27 € 0,50 5,14 € 0,50 5,14 € Nachstreuen 1,72 17,66 € 7,41 76,14 € 8,59 88,23 € Ersteinstreu 0,57 5,88 € 0,29 2,94 € 0,14 1,43 € Schubkarre leeren 2,26 23,17 € 4,66 47,86 € 5,26 54,06 € Fegen 3,92 40,23 € 4,81 49,39 € 4,81 49,39 € SUMME 704,47 € 837,47 € 992,31 €

173,50 563,88 € 214,91 1.085,30 € 5031,32 603,76 € Gesamtkosten (€/Pferd · a) 1.268,34 € (€/Pferd · a) 1.922,77 € (€/Pferd · a) 1.596,07 €

Einstreuverbrauch & Materialkosten

(€/Pferd · a)(Säcke/Pferd • a) (€/Pferd · a) (Ballen/Pferd • a) (€/Pferd · a) (kg/Pferd • a)

StrohSpänePelletsArbeitsaufwand & Arbeitskosten

(APh/Pferd · a) (€/Pferd · a) (APh/Pferd · a) (€/Pferd · a) (APh/Pferd · a) (€/Pferd · a)

Free-roaming horses in Camargue (DUNCAN 1980 and KILEY-WORTHINGTON

1989 quoted in ZEITLER-FEICHT 2015):

60 % feeding 10 % laying

20 % standing 10 % others

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Ammonia

Bedding material Shavings Straw Pellets

Box 7 8 9 5 7 6 8

Number of days 10 10 10 10 4 8 10

Period 1 1 1 2 2 2 2

Dust

Bedding material Shavings Straw Pellets

Box 6 14 14 6

Number of days 5 3 4 8

Period 1 1 2 2

Kosten der Arbeit bei Entlohnung nach tariflichem Mindestlohn

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Kosten der Arbeit Tariflicher Mindestlohn 8,60 €/h Arbeitgeberanteil an Sozialversicherungsbeitrag

Krankenversicherung (7,3 %) 0,63 €/h Pflegeversicherung (1,275 %) 0,11 €/h Rentenversicherung (9,35 %) 0,80 €/h Arbeitslosenversicherung (1,5 %) 0,13 €/h Lohnkosten inkl. Lohnnebenkosten 10,27 €/h

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Stables

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Erhebung von Mistmasse und Schütt-/Haufwerksdichte Misten in Kunststoffkiste, Mist wurde nicht angedrückt Je drei Erhebungen je Box und Untersuchungsphase

Abb. 1: Wiegen des Mistes an der Kofferwaage (links) und Ablesen der Misthöhe an einem Meterstab (rechts)

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Mistmengen bei Einsatz der verschiedenen Einstreumaterialien

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GLM: * für p < 0.05** für p < 0.01*** für p < 0.001

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GzLM: * für p < 0.05** für p < 0.01*** für p < 0.001

Korrelation zwischen der Schütt-/Haufwerksdichte des Mistes in kg/m³ und dem verwendeten Einstreumaterial

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Zusammenhang zwischen der Anzahl der Anwesenheitstage der Pferde während der Gewöhnungsphase mit der Anzahl der Tage bis zur 1. Nachstreu

Korrelation des Arbeitszeitaufwandes für die Entmistung in APmin/Tag mit den Abwesenheitszeiten der Pferde in h/Tag

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Korrelation zwischen dem Arbeitszeitaufwand für das Einstreuen in APmin und dem verwendeten Einstreumaterial

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GzLM: * für p < 0.05** für p < 0.01*** für p < 0.001

Korrelation zwischen dem täglichen Arbeitszeitaufwand je Box und Tag für das Fegen der Stallgasse und dem verwendeten Einstreumaterial

GLM: * für p < 0.05** für p < 0.01*** für p < 0.001

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Korrelation zwischen dem Arbeitszeitaufwand für das Entleeren der Schubkarre in APmin und dem verwendeten Einstreumaterial

GLM: * für p < 0.05** für p < 0.01*** für p < 0.001

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