Sand losses out the pens in barn with free-stall housing system

Á.G.F. Rocha¹ and M. Gaworski²*

¹University Federal of Uberlândia, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnology, #1720, Pará Avenue – Campus Umuarama – Uberlândia, MG – ZIP CODE: 38400–902, Brazil
²Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Department of Production Management and Engineering, 164 Nowoursynowska str., PL 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
*Correspondence: marek_gaworski@sggw.pl

Abstract:

Proper sand management can be a critical aspect in the selection and successful use of sand as a bedding material for dairy cows. In many regions and countries, use of sand as a bedding material is considered as a useful alternative solution in dairy farms, where non-organic matter can serve as an equivalent of straw and other organic materials, e.g. sawdust. Assessment of sand management in the barn with dairy cows involves numerous problems, such as sand consumption, frequency of filling in the sand, quality of sand, as well as cows’ response to comfort conditions created by lying stalls covered with sand. This paper presents results of some investigations concerning sand losses in the barn with dairy cows. In practice, sand consumption is a result of natural occurrences, when cows leave lying stalls. Moreover, part of sand, together with faeces, is taken out of the stall when the lying area is handled by persons responsible for cleanliness and hygiene in the stall. This paper indicates, based on the authors’ own observations and investigations, that an improper construction of lying stalls can result in the increased losses of the sand in the barn, which translates into financial losses. In addition, a number of methods of measurement, together with the details of the structure of sand losses in the barn with a free-stall housing system, were presented. The discussion develops the issue of effective use of sand as a bedding material in the barn with dairy cows, including the need to use technical equipment in order to keep the barn floors clean and ensure the cows’ comfort.

Key words:

bedding, cow, dairy farm, free-stall, keeping system, management, sand

Method to monitor sand level changes in free-stall lying area for dairy cows

M. Gaworski¹* and Á. Garreth Ferraz Rocha²

¹Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Department of Production Management and Engineering, Nowoursynowska str. 164, PL 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
²University Federal of Uberlândia, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnology, #1720, Pará Avenue – Campus Umuarama – Uberlândia, MG – ZIP 38400–902, Brazil
*Correspondence: marek_gaworski@sggw.pl

Abstract:

Understanding sand properties and proper sand management is critical to the selection and successful use of sand as a dairy bedding material. Use of sand as a bedding material is an alternative solution at many dairy farms instead of straw and other organic materials. In order to successfully use and manage sand as a bedding material for cows, it is necessary to consider monitoring of the sand amount in order to create the highest possible level of lying comfort for animals. The objective of the study was to investigate a modified approach to sand level measurements to find changes in the amount of sand covering the lying area in a barn with the free-stall keeping system. The method to measure sand level changes included use of a timber board (put on the neighbouring partitions at each lying stall) to determine the distance to the bedding surface in two zones of lying stalls. Results of the investigated method of monitoring sand level changes were discussed against the background of other results presented in the specialist literature. The discussion included the problem of measurement accuracy as well as simplicity of the proposed measuring method for practical use by farmers.

Key words: