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

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.