This study was carried out at the Experimental Buffalo Farm of the Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Minufiya University, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt. Daily behavioural activities of five lactating buffalo cows in their fourth lactation with body weight averaged 608 ± 14.21 kg were recorded to study the influence of housing floor bedding on animal welfare. Buffaloes were housed loose and allowed free access to hard surface floor on the one hand and one of the other lying surfaces studied to choose the comfort one (Hard surface, Straw, Sawdust, News paper and Sand). Mean duration of lying periods were significantly longer on straw, sawdust and sand than on newspaper and hard surface (689.11, 681.89, and 674.29 vs. 639.77 and 635.03 min respectively). This result suggests that using of adequate bedding materials improve lying behaviour for lactating buffalo cows through increasing in lying duration and decreasing in lying frequency. Meanwhile, frequency of lying and standing periods was significantly higher in hard surface than newspaper, sand, sawdust and straw (9.14 and 10.14; 8.49 and 9.49; 8.11 and 9.11; 8.09 and 9.09; 8.06 and 9.06 respectively). On the other hand, mean duration of resting bouts was significantly lower on hard surface floor than Straw, Sawdust, Newspaper and Sand surfaces (148.94 ± 23.29 vs. 179.97 ± 20.25, 196.37 ± 18.91, 168.51 ± 19.83 and, 186.71 ± 18.59 respectively). Buffaloes spent highly significant more time lying with head on the ground on sand bedding than hard surface or the other bedding materials. The most commonly head position during lying was head up. Meanwhile, buffalo cows preferred straw and sawdust than sand and less preferred newspaper. Bedding occupation was significantly longer for cows when they kept on straw or sawdust than newspaper (955.46 and 958.97 vs. 832.71 min respectively) while an intermediate duration was observed on sand bedding (903.37 min). Lying synchronization (time when all animals in group were lying at the same time) was significantly higher on straw than sand and sawdust (317.32 vs. 302.82 and 298.36 min respectively).
Nevertheless, no significant differences in eating frequency between different lying surfaces were observed. It clearly appears that eating duration were increased on organic bedding (straw, sawdust and newspaper) than sand or hard surface, this could be means that buffalo cows used this organic materials as feeding substances. Furthermore, the present results suggest that ruminating frequency was not affected by different lying surfaces. Meanwhile, buffaloes spent significantly shorter time for ruminating on hard surface than on the other different bedding materials. It obvious that lactating buffalo cows were getting more aggressive when they kept on hard surface than straw, sawdust and
sand (2.69 vs. 1.83, 1.96 and 1.79 placement frequency/day respect.) while an intermediate number of interaction between buffalo cows were observed when they kept on newspaper (2.17 placement frequency/day). On the other hand, some physiological parameters such as body temperatures, respiration rate and pulse rate were also studied.