The benefits of evaluating bedding

Bedding material can have a big influence on mastitis levels. Sarah Trickett reports.
Lots of factors impact on the level of mastitis in a herd but on one Cumbria farm it was bedding type that was having a significant influence on cell counts.
Father and son team William and Stuart Peile, Moorthwaite Farm, Cumbria, say cell counts crept up to a point where it was looking like they were going to get penalised by their milk supplier. “It was at this point we started looking at ways to reduce cell counts and this is when we began evaluating the bedding,” says son Stuart.
The 115 Holstein Friesian cows, which supply milk to make Lake District Cheese were originally bedded on sawdust. However, Stuart admits it was difficult to clean teats as the sawdust would stick and sometimes get into teat ends. “We found the fine sawdust could cause some irritation and teat-end damage,” says Stuart.
The Peiles were also using lime on top of the sawdust to keep cubicles dry and to act as a disinfectant to keep counts down. However, getting the balance right can be hard with too much lime potentially burning the teat ends.
So the Peiles decided to try a 95% dry matter kiln dried paper bedding added on top of rubber mats to help get the cell count issue under control. “We had heard about kiln-dried paper bedding and the benefits it could bring. We began using it in September 2010 and by November the cell counts had dropped by well over 100,000,” he says.
But not only has the bedding helped cut cell count levels, it is also easier to manage, says William. “Because the product is quite dense, it doesn’t get blown about. It is possibly also cheaper than sawdust and lime combined. And because the availability is there all year, the price is relatively stable compared to sawdust,” he says.
In fact, one 28-tonne load lasted the Peiles all winter last year, with the product being stored in a clamp. They have also used the bedding in calf pens placed on top of straw in order to reduce the dampness of the bedding.
The good thing about this bedding is that it acts like blotting paper, leaving cows drier and cleaner, says Envirosystems consultant Paul Rogerson. “It is five times more absorbent than sawdust and 10 times more than straw. And because this kiln-dried paper bedding is essentially inert because it has a pH of 7.4, it makes it unattractive to moulds and yeast as well as pathogenic mastitis causing bacteria,” he says.
“It’s important to remember cows spend up to 60% of their time lying down, during which time blood flow to the udder increases, which subsequently has an impact on milk production. So providing cows with clean, comfortable cubicles will help improve yields,” he adds.
An indirect benefit has also been the improvement in slurry, says Stuart. “With a pH of 7.4, it has helped increase the pH of slurry and reduce liming costs, so it is helping improve soils, too.”