Asking advice: Young calves on slats

Carey7

We usually put young friesan calves onto straw bedding. However was wondering how 4 month old friesan calves would do on concrete multi purpose slats? The advantage being no straw to buy. Anyone else put young calves onto slats

Reggie.

Carey7 wrote: »

We usually put young friesan calves onto straw bedding. However was wondering how 4 month old friesan calves would do on concrete multi purpose slats? The advantage being no straw to buy. Anyone else put young calves onto slats

We only do it with the slats bedded with straw if we run out of space. Too much danger of them falling through the slit and hurting their legs

Miname

Reggie. wrote: »

We only do it with the slats bedded with straw if we run out of space. Too much danger of them falling through the slit and hurting their legs

I've seen a lot of them Holsteins fall through Alright. If they are British friesains they will get caught at the hips on the slats.

Milked out

Have put calves that age on slats with rubber before they did fine once you stock it right. Only Issue was if there is an area Not slatted in the pen they lie there and can get dirty, cousin put tyres in that part of pen to stop em getting dirty

Dont be daft

Carey7 wrote: »

We usually put young friesan calves onto straw bedding. However was wondering how 4 month old friesan calves would do on concrete multi purpose slats? The advantage being no straw to buy. Anyone else put young calves onto slats

Its hard on them.

Even if the slats are too narrow to allow the hoof the slip through, the smaller hoofs tend to twist on the slats. Its hard to describe in writing but basically half the hoof dangling in mid air causes pressure on the inside of the hoof and cracks or tears can happen, then all the muck there in doesn't help.

That's sort of my own little theory, so I could have it arseways, but it is something I've noticed.

mf240

Hard to beat a good straw bed for calves.

Base price

We use the slatted shed for calves when were are stuck for space i.e weather is bad and they need a dry place to lie in. Our slatted shed is old and the gaps between the slats would be bigger than the modern ones. We always bed the slats before putting calves in.
We also use the shed as a holding pen when we need to dose, test etc them as weanlings but only after a good bed of straw has been laid on the slats.
As MF240 said it is hard to beat a good bed of straw under calves.

Carey7

Thanks for all the replies I think a straw bed is the only option for young calves.