The importance of cow comfort and bedding management
Evaluating bedding in dairy farming is essential to guarantee cow health and productivity. A clean, well-maintained bedding reduces the risk of mastitis and improves overall cow comfort. In 3 different posts, expert Oriol Franquesa explains the key factors of an adequate bedding and the way to assess the situation.
When talking about bedding management, two main goals must be kept in mind.
- Optimizing the comfort of our animals
- Getting the best hygiene conditions at udder level
Guarantee resting time for the animals
We want the cows to rest as many hours as possible.
We must be able to provide the best conditions to our animals to ensure that the cow rests the recommended 12-14 hours.
“The cows that rest the longest are the ones that produce more milk in the farm”.
Maximize udder hygiene
The cleanliness of the bedding and the bacterial load of the surface of the bedding where cows are resting are a key factor that will determine the incidence of environmental clinical mastitis and SCC.
“There is a direct correlation between the bacterial load on the teat skin and the incidence of clinical mastitis”.
On most farms, we have two well-defined accommodation systems:
- Open free areas or open yards, either with straw or with compost from wood sawdust.
- Freestalls or cubicles, with sand, straw, sawdust o recycled manure solids (RMS).
Both systems can work well and get excellent results, but we must know their limitations and requirements to get the best results.
Evaluation of the bedding
When visiting a farm we should observe the animals and their behaviour. For example: % of cows lying at the same time, % of cows perching, lying diagonally, etc. Find here an evaluation chart.
Time lapse cameras can be used to evaluate cows’ behaviour for 24h and they are helpful to find interesting points that we are not able to see during a regular visit.
Also we have to evaluate the state of cleanliness of beddings, feeding alleys, crossing alleys… that have a huge impact on udder health.
And finally, we must also observe the state of cleanliness of the animals and, particularly, the udder.
There are available different scoring charts to perform a hygiene scoring and make a more accurate evaluation:
Conclusions
The comfort of our cows and the hygiene of the bedding must be a priority in any dairy operation. We must be able to evaluate and give our best recommendations to improve both.
Guarantee the best conditions for animals is our responsibility if we want the farm to achieve its maximum productive potential and the best quality standards.
Article written by Oriol Franquesa, DVM, Qllet slp.
