The objective of this study was to examine the influence of the position of a neck rail on the lying position (position of the knee and the pinbone) and the angles of lying cows in stalls of a free-stall barn. Cows were kept in the free-stall barn with 42 stalls. The neck rail positions were changed as follows. Treatment 1: The neck rail position was 60cm from the front of the stall and the height was 110cm. Treatment 2: The neck rail position was 45cm from the front and the height was 110cm. Treatment 3: The neck rail position was 75cm from the front and the height was 128cm. In all Treatments the length of the stall was 236cm and the width was 120cm. The brisket board was wooden, and set up at 60cm from the front of the stall. Cows were able to move their head forward during standing up activity. The total number of cows was 230. The photographs of lying cows were taken from a position directly 3.3m above the stall. The averages of knee positions were 64±7, 61±4 and 61±2cm in Treatment 1, 2 and 3, respectively. No significant difference in the knee position was observed by moving the neck rail. The averages of the angles of lying cows were 19±11, 20±12 and 16±10 degrees in Treatment 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The angles of the lying cows were decreased by moving the neck rail backward and upward. However, no difference in the knee position was observed by moving the neck rail forward. The averages of pinbone positions were 2cm inside, 5cm inside and 12cm outside in Treatment 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The position of the pinbone was changed backward by moving the position of the neck rail backward and upward. However, no difference in the pinbone position was observed by moving the neck rail forward. By moving of the position of the neck rail, the angles of the lying cows were changed and the position of the pinbone was influenced.

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Effects of feeding the diet add 1% rice-husk charcoal to the formula diet (1% charcoal diet) to 372-day-old laying hens were investigated in comparison with non charcoal added diet (non-charcoal diet) in the summer period. The results showed that the ammonia gas concentrations both of the stacked feces and the laying house fed with the 1% charcoal diet were significantly lower in 52% and 39% as compared to the non-charcoal diet, respectively. The eggshell breaking strength of the hens fed with the 1% charcoal diet was significantly improved by 8% as compared to the non charcoal added diet. However, there was no significant difference between the 1% charcoal diet and the non-charcoal diet in the Hen-day egg production rate, egg mass, feed consumption, body weight, average egg-weight, the Haugh unit, eggshell thickness, eggshell weight and feces quantity. Consequently, it was considered that feeding the 1% charcoal diet to laying hens reduced the ammonia gas concentrations in the stacked feces and in the laying houses, and improved the eggshell breaking strength in the summer period.

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