Tag: facilities

En Español: Uso de sólidos de estiércol reciclado para encamado.

Ample bedding in stalls can optimize cow comfort, reduce hock lesions and lameness, and increase cow longevity (Tucker and Weary, 2004). The great price increase seen in other more traditional bedding sources has resulted in recycled manure solids (RMS) becoming increasingly common on dairy farms. Recycled manure solids are obtained by mechanical separation of manure removed from dairy cows’ housing systems. Their low cost of recovery, together with high on-site …

Introduction

Tie-stall housing was included on a recent list of factors affecting the welfare of dairy cows in a report by the Humane Society of the United States. The restrictive nature of this housing is the main reason that it is an area of interest. Although much of the current research focused on cow comfort examines cows housed within freestall barns, which house an increasing number of cows, a greater percentage of dairy farms in the United States are still …

Introduction

Overstocking of freestall barns, defined as housing more cows within a pen than the available number of stalls and (or) providing less than the recommended 0.6 m (23 in.) of linear feeding space per cow (Grant and Albright, 2001), is a practice commonly employed by dairy producers to expand herd size without increasing the facility investment (Bewley et al., 2001). The short- and long-term effects of this practice on dairy cow behavior, productivity, and health are not fully understood. …

Introduction

Feed is a significant cost in milk production. Generally over 50% of the production cost may be associated with meeting the nutritional requirements of the lactating cow. Dairies monitor feed cost through feed ingredient purchases, feed delivery records, and weigh backs of refused feed. However, actual costs associated with shrinkage are often ignored. Shrinkage is the loss of feed ingredients that never have a potential for economic return. Generally, shrinkage includes not only storage losses but also excessive inclusion …

The most important factors that determine the selection of the type of housing for dairy cattle are cost, animal comfort, worker’s efficiency, durability, and a favorable return on investment. Since the first low-profile cross-ventilated (LPCV) barn started to operate in South Dakota in the fall of 2005, at least six more facilities have been built in that state using this technology, and dozens of them have been built in the rest of the country. Although LPCV barns (enclosed, year-round controlled …

Introduction

Not all sand is the same. Sand can be obtained from sand pits or mines and is usually referred to as natural sand. Alternatively, sand can come from the processing (crushing) of larger aggregates (rocks) and is called manufactured sand. Some sand is naturally cleaner (low organic matter) than others, some sand has more fine particles than others, natural sand has smoother particles than manufactured sand, and some sand is more uniform in shape than others. When …