Mucking out before calving?

[JezzaB76]

Just wondering how many people muck out winter housing before calving, for a cleaner environment to calve in, does it matter?
I intended to put because of weather and wet land can’t get to my muck heap. About to start calving, just making sure there’s plenty of clean straw.

 

[spin cycle]

i had a woops up with rams and had some unplanned early lambs.....chucked them in freshly strawed barn but they seemed chilly......then it occured to me that ,as i usually house 4wks prior lambing, theres normally layers of warm muck before first lambs arrive

muck is warm....your bugs are your own bugs
JMO

 

[milkloss]

As long as you’re onto the navels quick with something I can’t see it as a problem.

 

[Zippy768]

Always found any split cows or hard labour cows managed to get back on all fours with a good layer of muck for grip.

 

[simmy_bull]

I think it would make i difference. I don’t really do it myself but I went to a vet meeting and apparently adding fresh straw to a calving pen has virtually zero impact on the level of “bugs” or whatever that the calf is challenged with.

I think @Zippy768 has a very good point about a layer of muck in a shed.

 

[Bullring]

I clean out mine before calving but I'm not too worried about a thin layer of straw as there on earth floor with Seasand on top then straw so plenty of grip.

 

[bovine]

Clean and dry ALWAYS better than warm and soggy

 

[Lovegoodstock]

I move mine from winter shed to a yard when they are bagging, between 3 days and 20 days from calving depending on numbers, then they are calved in one of our 4/6 calving boxes, bar when things are mad, no more than 3 calvings a box, always bedded well as easy and 10 x 10 foot box, but had a problem a few years back and made a point of not calving too many in it without cleaning and improved greatly, tend to clean and leave empty and unbedded for a few days if poss, if a damp spell and box needed I do disinfect, in damp months even if a thick layer of straw in box, when cleaned with jcb bucket its bordering wet on floor, with muck and heat of cow in box laying on it, must be a bug heaven surely

 

[HasthorpeGrange]

We are milk cows so slightly different but after around 28 days the bacteria in the muck alters and this can then start causing problems with mastitis etc

 

[ploughman1963]

We are milk cows so slightly different but after around 28 days the bacteria in the muck alters and this can then start causing problems with mastitis etc

I agree - I like to get the sheds cleaned out every 2-3 weeks

 

[moobaa]

Cattle housed in Nov/Dec, then mucked out early feb ready to calve 1st March... so 2-3 weeks of muck, but def cleaner. I get what people are saying about warmth, but theres a LOT of bad stuff under there....

 

[Pan mixer]

I am mucking mine out this week before calving in a fortnight, can't get the gates open otherwise.