65983 - Machines And Systems For Livestock Husbandry

Learning outcomes

Students will have knowledge on machinery and equipment for livestock husbandry, mainly on haymaking and balers and bale handling; milk production equipment and slurry and manure handling. Students will be able to select machinery for forage production with respect to the farm conditions; to manage farm equipment for feed drying and storage; to select machinery and equipment for livestock husbandry.

Course contents

Tractor in livestock husbandry; tractor definition and types; main components; heatching systems (11 hours)

Safety requirements for tractors and machinery (6 hours)

Hay and forage harvesting: cutting equipment, conditioning process, chopping, harvesting, baling, transport, drying, storage, fauna protection and dissuasion (7 hours)

Combine (4 hours)

Storage, milling, mixing of feeds (8 hours)

Milk production equipment (6 hours)

Renewable energy in livestock farming (2 hours)

Readings/Bibliography

L. Bodria, G. Pellizzi, P. Piccarolo - Meccanica Agraria - Edagricole
A. Guidobono Cavalchini - La mungitura. Tecnologie, scelta e gestione degli impianti - Edagricole
A. K. Srivastava, C. E. Goering, R. P. Rohrbach - Engimeering principles of agricultural machinery - ASAE

Teaching methods

The course is structured on frontal lectures to explain the fundamentals of machinery and equipment for livestock husbandry, the criteria to select machinery with respect to farm conditions, the principles to manage farm machinery and equipment.

Lectures are associated to lab exercises to properly evaluate and select implements and equipment, to evaluate safety requirements in the use of tractors and machinery, to perform standard tests on protective structures fitted on tractors and machinery. Guided visits to manufacturing companies and farms specialised in livestock husbandry.

Assessment methods

The course is part of the Integrated Course "Costruzioni di macchine e impianti per la zootecnia".

The evaluation of the course takes into account the level of knowledge and skills acquired by the student in the two courses offered.

The assessment consists of an oral examination to assess the critical and methodological skills of the student, the organic vision of the subject and the expression and specific language. The oral examination will be based on 3 questions per each course and the final evaluation will be the average.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations, lab, assisted visits of farms and machinery manufacturers

Office hours

See the website of Valda Rondelli