Fed up of straw bedding

PatQfarmer

I have limited slats, used as a feed passage, with straw on concrete floor lie-back. Shed holds a mix of yearlings (last Autumn) and weanlings (this spring) in 2 separate pens. Don't mind bedding them every 2nd day really, but finding this year in particular that the straw is holding moisture more than ever.
Perhaps it's the mild weather, or the silage (72DMD) or the straw, I don't know.

I have plenty straw, so maybe clean it out entirely monthly is the answer.

Or am I mad to consider cleaning out the shed and letting them lie on the concrete, even if it has to be scraped every couple of days?
Has anyone else done this?

And before anyone says it, if I had more money, I'd do more slats, but I don't!:)
Thanks.

visatorro

I had weanling lying on rubber mats that covered a lie back behind slats all in the one pen iykwim. found it a disaster really. never seen stock as dirty. I understand where your coming from with the straw but at least your cattle are clean and thriving, they'll be neither if you just leave them on concrete.

angusangus

PatQfarmer wrote: »

I have limited slats, used as a feed passage, with straw on concrete floor lie-back. Shed holds a mix of yearlings (last Autumn) and weanlings (this spring) in 2 separate pens. Don't mind bedding them every 2nd day really, but finding this year in particular that the straw is holding moisture more than ever.
Perhaps it's the mild weather, or the silage (72DMD) or the straw, I don't know.

I have plenty straw, so maybe clean it out entirely monthly is the answer.

Or am I mad to consider cleaning out the shed and letting them lie on the concrete, even if it has to be scraped every couple of days?
Has anyone else done this?

And before anyone says it, if I had more money, I'd do more slats, but I don't!:)
Thanks.

Would a few bags of sawdust and lime help dry it up and also help with disease

Muckit

it's a shed of cattle he's bedding, not a pony!

Timmaay

Any local green waste recycling places? We get sawdust/mulch stuff for very cheap, found it great for providing a dry Base.

Greengrass1

Have you a good slope on the floor into the tank pat?
Give another bale of straw between em till you get a base in it.
Ours were the same for first 3 wks couldn't keep them dry. All is good now though

PatQfarmer

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Have you a good slope on the floor into the tank pat?
Give another bale of straw between em till you get a base in it.
Ours were the same for first 3 wks couldn't keep them dry. All is good now though

Decent slope to it, never a problem last few years. They're in nearly 3 weeks now, so might stick at it for another week so! Thanks.

Do you clean yours out during winter?
I never did before.

The Cuban

visatorro wrote: »

they'll be neither if you just leave them on concrete.

+1 to that. I have some on the concrete as we speak. Not thriving, cold and going downhill. Ad-lib silage & meal in front of them but still no good. I reckon they'd be better off lying under a bush outside than inside on cold wet concrete.

Markcheese

Muckit wrote:

it's a shed of cattle he's bedding, not a pony!

Lad I know used to put a couple of trailers of saw dust down first and then topped up with straw... worked really well...

angusangus

Muckit wrote: »

it's a shed of cattle he's bedding, not a pony!

Wouldn't recommend lime sind where ponies lie

angusangus

Muckit wrote: »

it's a shed of cattle he's bedding, not a pony!

Wouldn't recommend lime sind where ponies lie

Mad4simmental

Leave a bale of straw infront of a pen or two for them to eat with the silage to try dry them up a bit.

Greengrass1

PatQfarmer wrote: »

Decent slope to it, never a problem last few years. They're in nearly 3 weeks now, so might stick at it for another week so! Thanks.

Do you clean yours out during winter?
I never did before.

Never do it here but will this yr as soon as open date comes. More stock in sheds than any other yr

Carrigogunnell

What about peat under the straw seen it
In a good few places supposed to be very good soakage in it.

J DEERE

Always found that putting in a big bed for the first bedding was key to keeping it dry. In a five bay shed we'd put down five bales to start and then 2 bales a week to keep clean. Never a bother

west79

J DEERE wrote: »

Always found that putting in a big bed for the first bedding was key to keeping it dry. In a five bay shed we'd put down five bales to start and then 2 bales a week to keep clean. Never a bother

I have an old cubicle shed and I roll out 3 bales for every 2 bays and I just cover about 10 feet out from the wall. The rest of the shed is left as a concrete floor. Just bed the very minimum. I just roll out the bale of straw. I find if you break up the bale and spread it out it's not as effective. There is about 18 inches under them to start. I will not bed again for about 8 weeks. There are 10 light runners about 200kg per bay

Dawggone

PatQfarmer wrote: »

I have limited slats, used as a feed passage, with straw on concrete floor lie-back. Shed holds a mix of yearlings (last Autumn) and weanlings (this spring) in 2 separate pens. Don't mind bedding them every 2nd day really, but finding this year in particular that the straw is holding moisture more than ever.
Perhaps it's the mild weather, or the silage (72DMD) or the straw, I don't know.

I have plenty straw, so maybe clean it out entirely monthly is the answer.

Or am I mad to consider cleaning out the shed and letting them lie on the concrete, even if it has to be scraped every couple of days?
Has anyone else done this?

And before anyone says it, if I had more money, I'd do more slats, but I don't!:)
Thanks.

You need one of these...

The Cuban

Dawggone wrote: »

You need one of these...

sure that yoke would cost more than the farm

J DEERE

If you can put up gates and lock them out during the day it would be a big help. Lock them out first thing in morning and let them back in last thing at night. After standing on the slats all day all they'll want to do is lie down for the night. No walking around and dirtying the bed

PatQfarmer

Dawggone wrote: »

You need one of these...

I wish! But if I had that money, it'd definitely be more slats, not more straw!

PatQfarmer

J DEERE wrote: »

If you can put up gates and lock them out during the day it would be a big help. Lock them out first thing in morning and let them back in last thing at night. After standing on the slats all day all they'll want to do is lie down for the night. No walking around and dirtying the bed

Not enough slat space to do that. 12 weanlings in one bay x 15' slats and 2 bays lie-back. The 12 wouldn't fit on slats for day. Good idea though!

Milked out

PatQfarmer wrote: »

I wish! But if I had that money, it'd definitely be more slats, not more straw!

Starting straw bedding 20 weanlings and 30 dry cows this year same as yourself a straw chopper would be the job but skint at the mo, may be no harm to keep and eye out for a second hand one on dd or something.
You could try putting a load of bark mulch/ wood chip under the straw in the mean time may keep it drier. Works well with young calves anyway

J DEERE

PatQfarmer wrote: »

Not enough slat space to do that. 12 weanlings in one bay x 15' slats and 2 bays lie-back. The 12 wouldn't fit on slats for day. Good idea though!

What weight are they? Often kept that many in a 15' by 12'6 pen for the winter.

PatQfarmer

J DEERE wrote: »

What weight are they? Often kept that many in a 15' by 12'6 pen for the winter.

AA bulls, 270-280kgs approx.

blue5000

Is it wheat straw? Not much soakage if it is.

Milked out

blue5000 wrote: »

Is it wheat straw? Not much soakage if it is.

+1 that's only good for the feeder.

trixi2011

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Never do it here but will this yr as soon as open date comes. More stock in sheds than any other yr

Would you not start getting mastitis problems leaving them for winter ? Clean out milkers once a week here

PatQfarmer

blue5000 wrote: »

Is it wheat straw? Not much soakage if it is.

2015 winter barley straw. Nice stuff.

inthepit

Have you tried Medite or Smartply in Bellview for some type of byproduct.
If you got a few inches of a base under the straw it might help.

Base price

We initially bed all sheds and lie backs with bales of chopped rushes then cover with barley straw.
Get them free from a neighbour who wraps them every year. They make a good base.
When cleaning out the sheds the following year we try to take the top layer of straw and leave the rushes until the end.

Greengrass1

trixi2011 wrote: »

Would you not start getting mastitis problems leaving them for winter ? Clean out milkers once a week here

Had a few cases this yr alright but usually we wouldn't. They were in soring milkers. Autumn milkers are A1

kelslat

Hi lads, I have just put 30 suckler cows into a shed 50x45 ft. They eat silage on a 55ft slatted tank. I didn't start straw bedding them yet to save on straw and I scrape the shed once or sometimes twice a day. The floor slopes towards the slatted area. I know straw bedding is expensive and time consuming but I spend as much time scraping the concrete area as I would bedding it. The cows look cold on the concrete and I will feel happier bedding them next week. It also means the slatted tank won't fill as quick.

J DEERE

PatQfarmer wrote: »

AA bulls, 270-280kgs approx.

if they have enough standing room then thats all ya need

juror

PatQfarmer wrote: »

I have limited slats, used as a feed passage, with straw on concrete floor lie-back. Shed holds a mix of yearlings (last Autumn) and weanlings (this spring) in 2 separate pens. Don't mind bedding them every 2nd day really, but finding this year in particular that the straw is holding moisture more than ever.
Perhaps it's the mild weather, or the silage (72DMD) or the straw, I don't know.

I have plenty straw, so maybe clean it out entirely monthly is the answer.

Or am I mad to consider cleaning out the shed and letting them lie on the concrete, even if it has to be scraped every couple of days?
Has anyone else done this?

And before anyone says it, if I had more money, I'd do more slats, but I don't!:)
Thanks.

I got a Kuhn straw blower this Winter. Best purchase i have made in a long time. It saves a lot of time and energy. Saves around 30% on straw too

Cattlepen

I know blowers are expensive and out of the question for some but the good ones can also be used for feeding out silage and hay which leaves them dual purpose. Also if you winter cattle out you can put hay out in lines with very little or no waste. Not like a messy round feeder

Base price

juror wrote: »

I got a Kuhn straw blower this Winter. Best purchase i have made in a long time. It saves a lot of time and energy. Saves around 30% on straw too

If I ever win the Lotto/or part of it, there are two implements that I would buy immediately. One is a flail/disc head and the other is a straw chopper.
I am sick to the teeth of graping straw around sheds & stables and to be honest, at this stage of my life it probably ain't going to happen