Cubicle bedding for cleanliness

[Chips]

Currently use paper bedding on mattresses with auto scrapers running every 90 minutes , cows are very healthy with very little if any mastitis and low scc .... happy days ! Well not quite , the cows look scruffy and I think it may be because the paper makes any slight splash of muck stick to her for months and thus accumulates especially on the rear of her back where her tail flicks . Would an alternative bedding be the answer and if so what , sand is out due to slurry being auto scraped into slats at end of shed and then flowing through twin wall to lined lagoon . Is sawdust of milled straw likely to improve matters ? Any thoughts appreciated

 

[Bald Rick]

Sawdust here and clean cows but blows off beds easily and gets everywhere when putting it out (using AG dispenser)

 

[dinderleat]

Auto scrapers and powder bed.

 

[pappuller]

Auto scrapers and powder bed.

Ditto
@Ducati899 is the guru in this department

 

[Chips]

How many bags/day of powder bed for 86 cubicles . I guess I would need to put it out twice/day rather than twice/week with ag dispenser , if so probably do it by hand as cows are always in shed in winter

 

[pappuller]

How many bags/day of powder bed for 86 cubicles . I guess I would need to put it out twice/day rather than twice/week with ag dispenser , if so probably do it by hand as cows are always in shed in winter

We have upped our pbed usage from 5 to 7 bags once a day through an ag maxi. Trying some kilco envirex antibac 3 times a week and pbed on top, cows are ok but will become cleaner with maize coming in this week

 

[pappuller]

We have upped our pbed usage from 5 to 7 bags once a day through an ag maxi. Trying some kilco envirex antibac 3 times a week and pbed on top, cows are ok but will become cleaner with maize coming in this week

For 157 cubicles

 

[Chips]

Trouble is I was quoted powderbed @ £3.40 bag , 4 bags/day is £5100/year ! They do a product called mixed which is £2.50/ bag , has anyone tried that , would still cost me about 80% more than cosi-bed . Think what I need is bulk to reduce the cost but platts only do full artics which is too much for my storage, Anywhere doing similar products on 8 wheeler

 

[vantage]

Can you not get a rotating brush to keep the cows clean?

 

[Blue.]

Trouble is I was quoted powderbed @ £3.40 bag , 4 bags/day is £5100/year ! They do a product called mixed which is £2.50/ bag , has anyone tried that , would still cost me about 80% more than cosi-bed . Think what I need is bulk to reduce the cost but platts only do full artics which is too much for my storage, Anywhere doing similar products on 8 wheeler

NW resources?

I buy cows out of a robot herd bedded on paper,they take a few weeks to clean up once here.?

 

[Chips]

Can you not get a rotating brush to keep the cows clean?

We have a fixed side brush but tail chalking prevents full on rotary brush which is a shame as I would like one

 

[devonboy]

oilseed rape straw ground with a haybuster to10mm does the job, used to use ww straw but it blew off when real windy and rape straw is cheaper too.

 

[Mc115reed]

How many bags/day of powder bed for 86 cubicles . I guess I would need to put it out twice/day rather than twice/week with ag dispenser , if so probably do it by hand as cows are always in shed in winter

Am I reading right that your only bedding down twice a week and wanting a way to keep cows cleaner??

Try bedding down daily and see if cows are cleaner?

 

[dinderleat]

Try little and often, but powder bed keeps beds nice and dry.

 

[Chips]

Am I reading right that your only bedding down twice a week and wanting a way to keep cows cleaner??

Try bedding down daily and see if cows are cleaner?

Bedding down twice a week but that is with two AG dispensor loads each time , there is way more bedding material there still after 4 days than there is 4 minutes after putting sawdust down , I still go around twice/day brushing off muck and pulling more down from the front , the paper is mixed with lime too . Given the health results of the cows it is an ideal bedding product and the cows are all prefectly dry , it's just they look scruffy as paper mixed with lime and any liquid sticks like glue and thus cows will look scruffy .
Having looked at a sawdust farm today with auto scrapers bedding down twice/day I can't see any difference in cleanliness to my own cows so I'm inclined to think in terms of the cows welfare if it aint broke don't try and fix it , after all the cows couldn't care less !

 

[organicguy]

picture of cows?

Bedding down twice a week but that is with two AG dispensor loads each time , there is way more bedding material there still after 4 days than there is 4 minutes after putting sawdust down , I still go around twice/day brushing off muck and pulling more down from the front , the paper is mixed with lime too . Given the health results of the cows it is an ideal bedding product and the cows are all prefectly dry , it's just they look scruffy as paper mixed with lime and any liquid sticks like glue and thus cows will look scruffy .
Having looked at a sawdust farm today with auto scrapers bedding down twice/day I can't see any difference in cleanliness to my own cows so I'm inclined to think in terms of the cows welfare if it aint broke don't try and fix it , after all the cows couldn't care less !

 

[Chips]

NW resources?

I buy cows out of a robot herd bedded on paper,they take a few weeks to clean up once here.?

What do you bed your cows on , I always think the cleanest cows I see are straw bedded cubicles but I doubt milled straw would stick the wind speed up here

 

[vantage]

What do you bed your cows on , I always think the cleanest cows I see are straw bedded cubicles but I doubt milled straw would stick the wind speed up here

Never mind straw, it can be like the Sahara desert in the shed here when the wind blows!

 

[Chips]

picture of cows?

 

[deleted user 837354]

The problem I have observed is cows laid down and then swishing their tails flicking muck from the passage all over themselves.

I'm not sure even plenty of brushes will work?