Keeping Cow Bedding Dry

The Importance of Dry Cow Bedding

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Posted: November 13, 2009

There are many benefits to increasing the lying time in dairy cows; primarily maintaining health and increasing milk production. Research has shown that cows prefer surfaces that have a mattress with bedding placed over them in favor of those that have no bedding materials. In addition to providing cattle with a free stall or tie stall that is made with comfortable dimensions, it is also greatly beneficial to provide them with bedding that will increase the comfort of lying down on dry bedding and, as a result, will reduce the risk of disease. Cows that do not have a cushioned surface like that from rubber mats and bedding are more likely to develop lameness. Although you may design a stall with the desirable dimensions that will encourage cows to spend more time lying and reduce the likelihood of their standing half in and half out of the stall, not providing adequate bedding can also put them at a greater risk of illness or lameness so both the dimensions of the stall and the choice and condition of bedding materials are important to preventing lameness. In addition to providing your cattle with adequate bedding, you will also need to do the maintenance required to eliminate wetness. Bedding that has been contaminated with feces and urine provides an even greater risk of illness to the cow through bacterial contamination. It will also discourage the cow from spending as much time lying in the stall. When a cow reduces its lying time, this causes an increase in the amount of cortisol produced along with an increase in other signs of physiological stress. It shouldn’t be a surprise that cows have shown a strong preference for dry bedding when offered a choice. Research has shown that there is a significant difference between the time a cow will spend lying down on dry bedding as opposed to wet bedding. When provided with only the option of wet bedding, cows will stand half in and half out of the stall or entirely outside the stall for longer periods of time. This increases the risk of lameness in the cow as well as the increased risk of disease from standing in the alley where there is a greater exposure to feces and urine or from standing on the concrete surface more. Concrete has no give and is not a good surface for cows to stand on. The use of rubber mats with adequate bedding on top will provide your cows with the cushioning to help prevent lameness during standing time and will also make it easy to change the bedding and keep it dry. The dryer you keep the bedding, the more comfortable your cow will be and the more lying time they will have. While the most significant aspect to the design of your stall is its dimensions regardless of whether it is a tie stall or free stall, not providing adequate bedding and maintaining it to keep it dry will prevent you from obtaining the benefits you are seeking from a carefully designed and constructed stall. Any time that a cow is exposed to feces and urine, its risk for disease increases. Wet bedding can cause an increase to exposure in two different ways. First, the feces and urine that may be trapped in the bedding and second, the waste that is in the alley where the cow will spend much of her time. The importance of dry cow bedding in every stall can not be emphasized enough and should be maintained regularly by any dairy producer looking for the maximum production from his dairy cattle.

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