bedding on robots

[louboy91]

Hi all,
Currently bedding 120ish cows on very old worn out mattresses with powder bed on top, they are milked through 2 Lely robots, high yielding circa 11,000L so milk leak can be an issue during breakdowns.
Issues: serious hock lesions and high mastitis rates are seriously reducing longevity, cull rate very high. Shed is low and poor ventilation can be an issue some days, other days wind blows and my sawdust is gone!!!
What experience has anyone had with different beddings specifically for robots
Many thanks in advance

 

[Bald Rick]

Hi all,
Currently bedding 120ish cows on very old worn out mattresses with powder bed on top, they are milked through 2 Lely robots, high yielding circa 11,000L so milk leak can be an issue during breakdowns.
Issues: serious hock lesions and high mastitis rates are seriously reducing longevity, cull rate very high. Shed is low and poor ventilation can be an issue some days, other days wind blows and my sawdust is gone!!!
What experience has anyone had with different beddings specifically for robots
Many thanks in advance

Not sure if bedding is going to make much difference if the housing isn't right in the first place? Easy for me to say as we started on a green field site.

We have been using NW Resources Easicattle which is recycled wood chipped in to fragments. This is a denser product than sawdust and sits on the bed better in an exposed shed. Our cells run between 130-150 and mastitis at less than 2 x 100.
The only downside is that they have put new screens in their chipping machine which seems to have resulted in more splinter like material. We have found the pressure of the milk pump has forced some of these splinters through the sock & therefore in to the bulk tank. Was much worse when the weather is cold as the milk is thicker due to high butterfats

 

[louboy91]

Not sure if bedding is going to make much difference if the housing isn't right in the first place? Easy for me to say as we started on a green field site.

We have been using NW Resources Easicattle which is recycled wood chipped in to fragments. This is a denser product than sawdust and sits on the bed better in an exposed shed. Our cells run between 130-150 and mastitis at less than 2 x 100.
The only downside is that they have put new screens in their chipping machine which seems to have resulted in more splinter like material. We have found the pressure of the milk pump has forced some of these splinters through the sock & therefore in to the bulk tank. Was much worse when the weather is cold as the milk is thicker due to high butterfats

What would you run that at about 4 inches or a true deep bed? No splinters from the wood into hocks etc?
The shed isn't the best I know but something I have to work with for the meanwhile as tenant farm and at 26 years old I am yet to build up some resources behind me! Its our clinical rate which is high (SCC at around 140/150 rolling 12 month) although I hope to have solved the vast majority of it from changing my fresh cow management, now when present it comes from the robot which at times I don't keep a beady enough eye on! (Short-staffed) just feel I need a deep bed for them :/

 

[Bald Rick]

What would you run that at about 4 inches or a true deep bed? No splinters from the wood into hocks etc?
The shed isn't the best I know but something I have to work with for the meanwhile as tenant farm and at 26 years old I am yet to build up some resources behind me! Its our clinical rate which is high (SCC at around 140/150 rolling 12 month) although I hope to have solved the vast majority of it from changing my fresh cow management, now when present it comes from the robot which at times I don't keep a beady enough eye on! (Short-staffed) just feel I need a deep bed for them :/

Your cell counts are fine. Mastitis rates should drop over time once the robots are running the show and you keep on top of liner replacements & ensure your vacuum pressure is around the 44 mark. You will probably have chronic cows which need culling out at some point.

We just sprinkle a fairly light coat over mattresses once a day and use a dusting powder every other as well. Mind you, the mats are only 4-5 yrs old and in good condition

 

[louboy91]

Yeah fairly happy with cell counts and started selective therapy in june this year, which hopefully has been going ok (crossing fingers here!), but the above statement about "mastitis dropping when robots run the show" is a little worrying when the robots have been running for 7 years hah! In seriousness though I hope I have seen off majority of previous fresh cow mastitis cases now, I've just had bad run of environmental cases recently as the laser cover had shifted and teat spray going in wrong place! BUT the hocks are the pressing issue, milk buyer is hot on it and the milk loss and culling I see from it warrants a change of bed management, just grabbing ideas, from what I can gather sand is a no go with respect to the robots, would be happy to be proven otherwise though!

 

[farmer JD]

Not sure if bedding is going to make much difference if the housing isn't right in the first place? Easy for me to say as we started on a green field site.

We have been using NW Resources Easicattle which is recycled wood chipped in to fragments. This is a denser product than sawdust and sits on the bed better in an exposed shed. Our cells run between 130-150 and mastitis at less than 2 x 100.
The only downside is that they have put new screens in their chipping machine which seems to have resulted in more splinter like material. We have found the pressure of the milk pump has forced some of these splinters through the sock & therefore in to the bulk tank. Was much worse when the weather is cold as the milk is thicker due to high butterfats

Hi has anyone tried paper bedding mixed with lime ? How does it compare to wood fibre ? We are currently using sand on concrete beds it's damp though and i think it's causing ecoli and I can't seem to find a consistent dry sand , the vet. Said I would get hock abrasions bedding wood fibre on concrete and the paper is more absorbent and would cushion the cows better , what's your opinions ? Thanks

 

[Bald Rick]

Yeah fairly happy with cell counts and started selective therapy in june this year, which hopefully has been going ok (crossing fingers here!), but the above statement about "mastitis dropping when robots run the show" is a little worrying when the robots have been running for 7 years hah! In seriousness though I hope I have seen off majority of previous fresh cow mastitis cases now, I've just had bad run of environmental cases recently as the laser cover had shifted and teat spray going in wrong place! BUT the hocks are the pressing issue, milk buyer is hot on it and the milk loss and culling I see from it warrants a change of bed management, just grabbing ideas, from what I can gather sand is a no go with respect to the robots, would be happy to be proven otherwise though!

Yeah dont put sand anywhere near a robot as it will get in to everything from brush motors to festo valves!
Our Yankee friends use pack bedding to some effect. That would give you deep litter and do away with hock abrasions as well as cubicles if you feel that they are passed their prime.

 

[farmer JD]

Yeah dont put sand anywhere near a robot as it will get in to everything from brush motors to festo valves!
Our Yankee friends use pack bedding to some effect. That would give you deep litter and do away with hock abrasions as well as cubicles if you feel that they are passed their prime.

What's pack bedding ? I'm in a herringbone parlour , btw what's your opinion on paper ash

 

[Chips]

cosi-bed put through an ag dispenser here with 3-4 scoops of lime on top before spreading , works well with no hock abrasions and sticks to beds well in open airy shed , trouble is it can stick too well , makes cleaning beds off a bit slower than with sawdust but not too bad , but also makes for muck splashing onto cows backs from their tails stick like glue and hence although the udders are clean with very little mastitis for the purposes of Arla garden plus we have a lot of dirty cows . Tails were too hairy though ,hopefully problem will lessen now I have finaly scrapped my hopeless Lister clippers and bought a decent cordless set .
We suffer from milk leakage since moving to robot milking , you would think the regular milking would alieve the problem , but alas I think due to being able to hear the parlour 24/7 combined with the very relaxed lifestyle they get leads to leakage

 

[Bald Rick]

What's pack bedding ? I'm in a herringbone parlour , btw what's your opinion on paper ash

https://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/dairy/facilities/compost-bedded-pack-barns/

 

[upnortheast]

Yeah dont put sand anywhere near a robot as it will get in to everything from brush motors

Farm near here has robots with sand, acr cord conversion using chain instead of cord was essential

 

[louboy91]

Sand would be my preference but robots are meant to mean less of a tie right? The increased call outs etc just worry me that I'd never leave the place! That and blocked drains didnt appeal so much. Love to hear if anyone is doing it painlessly though!

 

[coomoo]

Interesting wee read, any updates? Hear of several new big robot units on sand now.

 

[Sid]

Interesting wee read, any updates? Hear of several new big robot units on sand now.

Cows like sand
Robots (machinery)don't

Some locally on sand have very large servicing bills due to wearing parts, but lower vets bills.

Thankfully I have both low

 

[coomoo]

Cows like sand
Robots (machinery)don't

Some locally on sand have very large servicing bills due to wearing parts, but lower vets bills.

Thankfully I have both low

Did wonder how the machines cope presume it gets in everywhere. What cubicles/mattresses are working with your bots?

 

[Sid]

Did wonder how the machines cope presume it gets in everywhere. What cubicles/mattresses are working with your bots?

Loose housed.

 

[woodylane]

Hi has anyone tried paper bedding mixed with lime ? How does it compare to wood fibre ? We are currently using sand on concrete beds it's damp though and i think it's causing ecoli and I can't seem to find a consistent dry sand , the vet. Said I would get hock abrasions bedding wood fibre on concrete and the paper is more absorbent and would cushion the cows better , what's your opinions ? Thanks

Brother in law went from deep straw beds that we topped up every other day to 60% moisture envirobed mixed with cement kiln dust. It works very well and has helped keep the beds drier and cell counts lower. Bare in mind this is deep beds though with dirt bottoms.