A literature review on a bed of sand for dairy cows
The use of the sand bed in pens and loose housing for dairy cows is the most popular option among the dairy farms of high production around the world. Producers who use sand reported higher milk production, better quality of the milk, the lower discard rate and a reduction in lameness and breast infections. We present in this note a summary of a query literature on the subject.
Benefits of sand on comfort and health of the cow
- The sand provides a resting surface clean, dry, and comfortable. This is essential to minimize the exposure of teat ends to bacteria causing mastitis, especially after the milking.
- The sand offers an excellent tractionallowing cows to get up and down safely without slipping. This reduces the risk of injury in the legs, such as lameness and injuries in hocks. A study found that the percentage of cows with hock healthy was significantly higher in farms that used sand (54.6 ± 8.2) compared with foam mattresses (20.5 ± 6.7). Another study showed that the cows in the barns with deep sand had lower incidence of lesions on the hocks (91.6% with score 0) in comparison with those who used beds of rubber (26.1%).
- Cows prefer to lie on the cooler surface, and the sand facilitates the exchange of heat conductive, helping the cows to lower your body temperature. A study found that, in summer, the sand was preferred (60.8% occupancy) mattress (19.4 32.5%) and rubber mats (12.3%).
- El aumento del tiempo que la vaca pasa acostada, facilitado por camas cómodas como la arena, está asociado con una mayor productividad (tiempo de rumia prolongado, aumento del flujo sanguíneo a la glándula mamaria y menor tensión en las pezuñas). Se ha encontrado que las vacas echadas de 12 a 14 horas al día tienen mayor productividad. Unos estudios coinciden en el período de descanso medio de 11 a 13 hr para camas de compost y 12 a 14 hr para las camas de arena ( Cook et al., 2004 y Leso et al., 2020). También menciona, en misma comparación, menores recuentos de células somáticas (RCS) y menos casos de mastitis clínicas en las camas de arena con respecto a las de compost (Rowbotham & Ruegg, 2016 y Husfeldt et al., 2012). Ver COMPARISON TABLE summary of the research literature
Impact of sand on the hygiene and udder health
- The sand is an inorganic material, which significantly limits the growth of bacteria that cause environmental mastitis in comparison with materials of bed organic. A study showed that the count of colony forming units per gram of material bed was significantly lower in the sand (25.9 ± 14.8 CFU (× 1.06)/g) compared with the compost (94.0 ± 32.9 CFU (× 1.06)/g).
- The cleanliness of the cows, especially the udder and hind legs, is crucial for the prevention of mastitis. Although the sand tends to adhere to the udder, its inorganic nature and the lowest bacterial growth can compensate this drawback if it is managed properly (hair removal flamed of udders significantly reduces the presence of sand).
Waiting pen of clean cows coming from their sand beds
Management and recycling of sand
- The proper design of the beds is critical to the success of the use of sand. This includes the critical dimensions (length, width, height, location of the rail of the neck, locator of the chest). A poor design can result in a deposition inadequate manure and urine in the bed, complicating the cleaning of the beds.
- Depth of the sand bed: the research suggests that a minimum depth of 25 cm of loose sand is necessary to optimize the comfort.
- Se necesita rellenar los cubículos de arena con frecuencia (típicamente dos veces por semana, o cada 4 días) y nivelar las camas. «Por cada centímetro que la arena desciende en la cama, la vaca pasará un promedio de 11 minutos menos acostada».
- Not all sand is the same. The sand used should be clean and free of soil particles (silt and clay), which can cake. It must also be free of gravel, especially small and sharp that they can be embedded in the hoofs of cows.
- The construction sand it is considered the best option due to its mixture consisting of coarse particles and fine, which is ideal for the comfort of the cow, not the compact so fast and facilitates the separation and recovery. The use of sand in the stables requires a considerable amount of material. It is estimated the use of 25 kg of sand per cow per day (which is what the cow strip as they enter and exit on the other side of the cow alley), or about 10 tons per 100 cows each four days for the filling.
- To manage these quantities, we need efficient methods to fill the beds, as the sand shooter as can be see in the next photo.
- Los sistemas de separación y recuperación de la arena, como las calles de sedimentación que con una pendiente de 0,25% permiten una recuperación de arena superior a 90%.
- For the recycling of sand to be effective, the sand is separated must be as clean and dry as possible, with an organic matter content as low as possible (a maximum of 2%), and humidity between 4-5% thing that demand on average 8 weeks.
Sedimentation alley with a slope of 0.25%: it Is estimated that, on average, are needed 8 weeks to get the sand (with 4-5% moisture, and less than 2% organic matter) in the conditions for a return to be used in the beds.
