Would you muck them out?

[Zippy768]

I have about 30 x 4 and half month old cattle in a barn. Healthy enough but the last 3 days beginning to get some niggles. Increase in coughing.

They were due to be mucked out this week as imo they have more muck underneath them than I'd like.
They are in 3 different pens and the 4th empty.
Would one continue with plan A and clean a pen out, move a group over etc
Or just straw them up well and leave alone until they seem more settled?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I used to clean my bulls out every 2 weeks , the straw and muck gets hot and gives off fumes that's not good is it , but it's like the rent topics ,
It's will soon turn into an argument

There us also a build up of bacteria, foot rot mastitis and joint ill

 

[Zippy768]

I used to clean my bulls out every 2 weeks , the straw and muck gets hot and gives off fumes that's not good is it , but it's like the rent topics ,
It's will soon turn into an argument

There us also a build up of bacteria, foot rot mastitis and joint ill

These are 4.5 month calves.
For the reasons you gave in your first paragraph was why they were due to be cleaned. But I am not happy with them right now. Just wondered if better to leave a week, see which way they go.

Or get them onto clean fresh bed underneath them

 

[Derrick Hughes]

These are 4.5 month calves.
For the reasons you gave in your first paragraph was why they were due to be cleaned. But I am not happy with them right now. Just wondered if better to leave a week, see which way they go.

Or get them onto clean fresh bed underneath them

Depends how damp the pens are , but either way make sure they have plenty of clean straw under them , if the pens are dry no harm leaving them , but if its squidgy wet then better cleaned out

 

[Gulli]

Damned if you do damned if you don't I expect. Clean beds will help but the stress of moving them about will make things worse

 

[Zippy768]

Damned if you do damned if you don't I expect. Clean beds will help but the stress of moving them about will make things worse

Nail on head

 

[Moors Lad]

If you can clean a pen out with no stress to them I`d clean it out and move them over quietly on to lots of clean straw. All depends if you can keep hassle for them to an absolute minimum!

 

[Zippy768]

Depends how damp the pens are , but either way make sure they have plenty of clean straw under them , if the pens are dry no harm leaving them , but if its squidgy wet then better cleaned out

Not squidgy, but there is a smell now.
Lying down, nose to the floor

 

[Zippy768]

If you can clean a pen out with no stress to them I`d clean it out and move them over quietly on to lots of clean straw. All depends if you can keep hassle for them to an absolute minimum!

Would just be a machine going in and out of barn. They would just stay in their current pen until next door one is empty.

I weighed the lot of them Monday morning and took 30 out to another barn.
They have changed alot since then

 

[Moors Lad]

Would just be a machine going in and out of barn. They would just stay in their current pen until next door one is empty.

That sounds a lot less stress than weighing them . Think I`d be having a go then!

 

[M-J-G]

Mucking out will and plenty of good straw help dry the air making it more difficult for airborne bugs to spread.

If you can do it without stirring them up hugely I'd definitely get them cleaned.

 

[serf]

Known of places in the past they used to clean them out when they had a bump on their head ....

From the rafters ...

 

[puppet]

Deeper the bed the better to act like a sump and leave the top fairly dry. Our stirks will end up on 2 feet of muck and hardly need much bedding by then. Just lift gates onto higher hinges.
Got to get wet stuff away and have good ventilation as well.

 

[neilo]

Known of places in the past they used to clean them out when they had a bump on their head ....

From the rafters ...

We had a dairy farmer neighbour who loose housed his cows in a concrete Atcost barn that must have been around 16’ to the eaves. He cleaned out once a year, with the bedding having a steep ramp up from the doors to get them in & out for milking.
He had tyres tied on the concrete webs at the eaves, so the cows didn’t hurt their backs.

Always thought it was an odd way to go on, but never seemed to cause too many health issues.

 

[andyt87]

It's the middle ground that's the problem, either have to muck out regularly or get through the wet stage until there's a decent amount of litter depth that they lay on dry

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I never bother mucking out the lying area virtually all winter, just keep it well bedded….front are scraped out when required

 

[Moors Lad]

I weighed the lot of them Monday morning and took 30 out to another barn.
They have changed alot since then

Changed for the better? Or..

 

[Zippy768]

Changed for the better? Or..

Oh yes, nothing wrong with the weight gain.

 

[Moors Lad]

I have about 30 x 4 and half month old cattle in a barn. Healthy enough but the last 3 days beginning to get some niggles. Increase in coughing.

Has their health improved since they were weighed ? Or has it got worse though??

 

[Gulli]

Would just be a machine going in and out of barn. They would just stay in their current pen until next door one is empty.

I weighed the lot of them Monday morning and took 30 out to another barn.
They have changed alot since then

I'd get them cleaned out then and plenty of straw out down