Monitoring of environmental gases and calf health in Italian Mediterranean buffalo herd
Authors: Leonetti Simona , Ambrosio Monica , Scamardella Mirko , Caso Chiara , Coletta Angelo 
Published: January 2025

In buffalo breeding, calves require special attention and housing systems that provide thermal comfort, good air quality, brightness, and adequate space. Overcrowding, poor ventilation, high temperatures, or improper management of animals can result in increased concentrations of environmental gases such as ammonia (NH3), carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), and hydrogen sulfide (H2 S), altered microclimate parameters, and worsened air quality. The increase in these gases can be problematic for the environment and the calves, whose stress levels can increase and adversely affect the buffalo calves´ nutrition, health, and physiological parameters. During the late spring and early summer season, gas monitoring was carried out in 7 buffalo calf housing spaces in the Campania region, and special measuring instruments were used to measure CO 2 (Portable indoor air quality CO2 meter, Extech instruments), H 2 S and NH3 (Pro gas badge, Industrial scientific) produced by calves. The recording of perceived data was performed continuously and over 15 minutes. Measurements were taken early in the morning before the morning milk feed, and the instruments were positioned at the height of the calves. The calves analysed are all housed in completely closed structures equipped with doors and windows, usually left open in the summer, and closed in the winter. Furthermore, the age range of the animals housed ranges from 0 to 90 days of life, during which the calf mainly takes on reconstituted milk and then is sent towards weaning in the last few weeks. The m 2 available per calf varies on each farm, and all the calves are housed individually. On average, the available space is approximately 100 cm x 1.40 cm. In all structures, the litter used is straw, mandatory for the first two weeks of the calf’s life. In addition, the “Health score” of 300 calves was also evaluated. Score 0 indicated no cough; normal serous discharge or a small amount of unilateral turbid discharge; normal eyes or a small amount of ocular discharge; normal ear, flick ear, or head shake; normal or semi-formed feces; forelimbs entirely covered by bedding when calf lying down. Score 1 indicates coughs on movement; bilateral, excessive, or mucopurulent mucus discharge; moderate or heavy ocular discharge; head tilt or unilateral/bilateral droop; loose or watery feces sifts through the bedding; partially visible or visible forelimbs when the calf is lying down. Each parameter has its score and is considered independent of the other. Finally, as regards the state of cleanliness of the litter, rather than in the calf score, the state of cleanliness of the litters was considered in the data collection regarding the management of the calf house, expressing a judgment such as: “The litter is: kept in good condition; fairly well kept; it is not kept in good condition”. The data collected show that in all calf housing spaces, the estimated NH3 concentrations were in the range of 0 ppm. Only in one particularly overcrowded, the maximum concentration was 1 ppm. For CO 2 levels, the values recorded also never exceeded 1,000 ppm, ranging from a minimum of 678 ppm to a maximum of 946 ppm, and the H 2 S values were 0 ppm in each one. In addition, all buffalo calves evaluated with the calf health score had a score of 0, indicating optimal health conditions. The monitored seven buffalo farms showed adequate attention to environmental conditions, and all the raised buffalo calves showed optimal health status.