Alternatives to straw bedding - Teagasc
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Alternatives to straw bedding
Despite the challenges we face in terms of providing adequate feed and bedding
we will have to provide animals and calves in particular with a ‘dry lie’ next
winter. There are viable alternatives to the use of straw as bedding especially
peat, slats for calves and rubber mats in calving pens.
Woodchip
Outdoor woodchip pads as standalone entities have gone out of favour in
Ireland. Initially cheap recycled timber was used. The use of recycled or treated
timber on woodchip pads is now illegal. Logs have trebled in price since 2007.
There were also problems with drainage on parts of the pad where there was
heavy animal traffic.
The construction of woodchip pads requires planning permission. There may be
scope to use woodchip on an existing Class 8 structure (as defined in S.I. No.
600/2001 - Planning and Development Regulations, 2001) such as a
silage pit where there is adequate storage available for run-off (classified as
‘slurry’ in terms of storage requirement). Woodchip pads may also have a role as
an outside ‘lie back’ to an existing animal house to reduce the demand for indoor
bedding, provided once again runoff can be collected and stored and the
necessary planning permission is obtained.
There is scope to use woodchip for indoor bedding although there is little
experience of this in Ireland. In Moorepark when calves were reared on 25 cm
woodchip the surface became moist and the woodchip retained moisture. In the
UK the recommendation is to initially place 10 cm of woodchip and top up as
required which is generally every 7 to 10 days but this is very dependent on the
diet. Woodchip, in general is very suitable as bedding, animals stay clean and
there is little dust. A 100m3 load weighing approximately 20 to 25 tonne will cost
approximately €1,230 delivered including VAT. In the UK some farmers filter the
woodchip through a sieve so that it can be re-used in subsequent years. In this
scenario buying a ‘chunky’ woodchip costing €2,000 per load maybe attractive
(delivered price, including VAT). Coarse woodchip is preferred and it is better to
secure a supply in the summer as it is likely to be drier. It is recommended to
compost spent woodchip for 2 or 3 years. It can be spread directly on land but
decomposition will consume soil nitrogen. Woodchip from outdoor woodchip pads
maybe contaminated with drainage stone so it will be necessary to roll after
spreading. Some farmers spread and plough this material in.
Woodchip can be mixed with peat moss to extend the bedding period of the
latter. Where straw bedding is allowed to accumulate, woodchip can be used as
a base layer to reduce straw usage and improve drainage.
Suppliers:
Macroom Haulage, David Murphy 087-4125010
1
Ballynoe Agri Services Ltd. (East Cork) Suppliers and Wood
Page
Chipping Service, Eddie O’ Keeffe 086-2525559Peat Bedding
This fibrous bedding is a highly absorbent material which keeps livestock warm,
clean and dry with minimal labour. The bedding is cost effective, can last for
months and can be immediately spread on the land after use, adding nutrients
and conditioning your soil without depleting nitrogen levels the way straw and
wood chips do. Peat is acidic so it inhibits the growth of pathogens. Sphagnum
moss, a component of peat is a natural antiseptic.
Gurteen Agricultural College have used peat for bedding dry cows and weanlings
for a number of years. They have found a deep layer works best, 76 cm (2.5
feet) is placed in the back of the pen and it slopes down to 25 cm (10 inches)
near the slats where the animals feed. A double slat is used to prevent the peat
spilling into the slatted tank. When the top layer becomes wet the whole lot is
dug up, placed out into the yard, mixed up and put back in. 350 m3 (14 silage
trailer loads) was used in the winter of 2017/2018 to bed 50 dry cows and 140
weanlings for 5 months. The experience of other farmers is that bedding with a
15 cm layer is simpler in that it can be topped up or cleaned out as required.
Calves can appear very dirty on peat moss and it will be necessary to regularly
clean off the top layer. Cleaning out used peat moss is more labour demanding
than straw – in the busy spring period farmers can clean out a straw bedded
calving pen with one grab of the loader. Farmers have successfully used peat in
a group calving facility. Bulk peat is more available in the midlands (depots for
collection from Tullamore to Thurles to Clane and Kilcullen in Co. Kildare) with
an artic load (93 m3 or 27 tonne) costing €1,581, including VAT delivered about
70 km. Organic farmers are not allowed use peat in place of straw.
Suppliers: www.peatbed.com;
Bord na Mona, Brendan Howell 087-9183716
Distributors: Meath-Premium Irish Peat, Joe Doran 086-8939899,
Wicklow/East Coast Landscape Providers, John Hourigan 087-9171187
Hauliers: Dermot Kinsella 086-8118955, Pat McCarthy 087-2553134 Macroom
Haulage (South of country)
Rushes
Rushes are a bulky bedding material that are not as absorbent as straw. It is
important that rushes are allowed to dry out for a few weeks after cutting.
Drying will also help to break down the wax coating. They can be dusty and
there is some evidence that lice can be a bigger problem with old rushes that
haven’t been cut for a few years. Rush bedding is readily broken down when
spread back on land. Spreading this material on productive silage ground will
reduce the risk of establishing a new stand of rushes. A good ‘crop’ of rushes will
yield about 8 bales per acre. At current prices of about €8 per bale, the use of
rushes as bedding is viable.
2
PageWood shavings or sawdust
Sawdust mixed with straw that came from horse stables has worked well for
cattle bedding. Sawdust can be dusty and is not suitable for calves unless
cleaned out and replaced regularly. Calves may also tend to eat sawdust and
shavings.
Miscanthus
Miscanthus is clean, dust free excellent bedding. Unfortunately it is generally not
available and like straw it is also not available to import.
Paper commands a price of €160 per tonne for recycling and is generally not
available for bedding.
Summary of Bedding Materials
Absorbency Animal Disposal Cost/tonne Cost to bed
(hold own Health (including a 200 kg
weight in VAT where suckler
water) applicable) calf/week1
Straw 2.5 times Dust and Rots and €167 (€25 €1.19
mould spores spreads per 150 kg
easily bale)
Woodchip 2.5 to 4 Ideally Can be €56 €1.072
20%moisture composted,
(but must be spreadCalf Rearing
Timber, plastic slats or concrete slats with a rubber mat and calf jackets
Suppliers of plastic slats: JFC 1.2 m X 0.9 m X 120 mm high at €105 each
Easyfix: 2 m X 0.9 m X150 mm high at €130 each
(treated timber with rubber on top and bottom)
Durapak:1.51 m X 0.7 m X 89 mm high at €105
each
Other suppliers include: Irish Recycled Products, Birr
Murrays Recycled Plastic Co. Mayo
O’Donnell Engineering Emily, Co Tipperary.
Above prices exclude VAT but this can be reclaimed on slats and mats. It is
important that the fall in the floor is adequate to drain away urine to avoid
problems with ammonia gas. Good ventilation and regular cleaning are critical
with this system. Calves reared on slats are also more prone to draughts.
Timber slats made from hardwood may also be constructed (20 to 28 mm gaps
and 22 to 50 mm ribs, See Department of Agriculture Specification S124).
http://www.comfortslatmat.com/products/product-range
Calf Jackets
Calf jackets can be used to keep calves warm for the first 3 weeks of life. Cost
approximately €35 per jacket. This is not expensive compared to using one
round bale of straw to rear a calf. Each jacket could rear about 3 calves per
year. It is necessary to separate the calf from it’s faeces and urine so slats are
the preferred complimentary housing option. Research would indicate no
scientific benefit to using calf jackets although farmer feedback would suggest ‘a
nice shine’ after removal of the jackets on calves for sale. The use of calf jackets
on outdoor reared calves has been trialled in Grange for the first six weeks of life
– there was no advantage in terms of calf performance and ectoparasites proved
4
more troublesome. Calf jackets need to be washable.
PageCalving Facility
Using rubber mats on the floor. The mat must be soft and have sufficient grip
especially for the calf that is learning to stand. Providing the facility to wash out
and collect the waste from the calving area is important. A number of companies
make mats specifically for this purpose: ‘Bama’ mat from Mayo Mats, ‘Kraiburg’
(main agent Condon Engineering) etc. Four mats in a calving pen will cost
approximately €200. This option will be attractive on a cost basis versus straw.
Some farmers use a roofed holding yard or empty silage pit for calving. They
may consider using pre-cast cubicles with an appropriate mat in this type of
group calving area. The area adjacent to these cubicles would also be matted.
The cubicles will reduce the area to be washed clean. It may be possible to use
plastic cubicles without the precast bed to achieve the same objective.
Case Study- replacing all straw with mats in calving area and rearing
calves on slats
90 spring calving dairy herd currently using 80 round bales of straw for calving
and calf rearing. He rears 25 replacement heifer calves and sells 87 calves at
four weeks of age. He currently has excellent facilities and he plans to build an
extra slurry tank this year so storing extra wash water will not be a problem.
Cost of conversion of calf house to plastic slats:
6 calf pens 4.8 x 4.26 metres
Using 10 JFC calf slats per pen = €6,000
Cost of rubber mats for calving area:
4 calving pens 4.5 x 4.5 metres
Using 6 ‘Bama’ Mayo mats/ pen = €1,152
40 Calf Jackets X €35 each = €1,400
Total cost €8,552
This cost excludes labour and the extension of wash down facilities to calving
area.
Return if no straw purchased: 80 bales X €25 =€2,000/8,552 x 100 = 23%.
Buying the straw this year and feeding ad lib with concentrates to 90 dry cows
will save 95 tonne of silage or 20 days feed for these animals. Restricting straw
intake will extend this feed by about 3 days.
A high standard of management is needed for all alternatives to straw bedding.
No endorsement of the above products or product suppliers is intended
nor is any criticism implied of person(s) or companies or their products
that are not mentioned.
Tom Fallon
Teagasc
5
13th July 2018
PageYou can also read
