Why should you consider wood chip bedding?
This year’s shortage of bedding-quality straw is a fact. There are multiple reasons that have led to its unprecedented scarcity. Poor weather conditions during harvesting seem an obvious reason. This, however, was followed by dry spring. If you add strong demand from renewable energy plants, you have a recipe for the situation that we are in at the moment. So what can you do? Fortunately, you can use alternative bedding. We have prepared a comparison of some options, including wood chip bedding, so have a look below.
Comparison of livestock bedding
Wood chip
Absorbency 159.6ml/litre | 100-120sq m coverage at 5cm depth per 1 tonne
Advantages
Reusable throughout multiple seasons, clean.
Disadvantages
Requires dry storage. Must use highest quality wood chip for animal welfare.
Worth knowing
Use wood chip below 30% moisture to manage bacterial growth.
Sawdust
Absorbency 159.6ml/litre | 800sq m coverage at 10cm depth per 27 tonnes
Advantages
Comfortable and clean solution, ideal for deep littering.
Disadvantages
Requires regular maintenance – dry matter decreases after absorbing urine.
Worth knowing
Consider dealing with damp, moulds, and bacterial growth.
Paper
Highly absorbent | Beef & sheep require a 10cm depth at start of winter. Cows need 200kg per cow each winter
Advantages
Easy to store and dispose of.
Disadvantages
Must be removed if paper gets wet or sets hard.
Worth knowing
If wet allows pathogens to flourish. If clumped and be difficult to spread.
Crushed-husks
6-8% moisture content | 800sq m coverage at 10cm depth per 27 tonnes
Advantages
Easy maintenance. Can be mixed with other products such as lime.
Disadvantages
Requires dry storage conditions
and anti-bacterial bedding powder.
Worth knowing
Easy disposal on land. Doesn’t set hard on beds and remains free flowing for cow comfort.
Lime – Calcium carbonate
Highly absorbent | 500g usage per cubicle bed per day
Advantages
No bacterial growth.
Disadvantages
Highly alkaline, may cause scalding of livestock teats or noses.
Worth knowing
Can be spread on fields but advisable to analyse soils first because of its alkaline nature.
Sand
Absorbency 0.3 litre/kg | 7.5-10kg per cow per day
Advantages
Clean, dust-free and well-drained bed. Good for deep-litter beds.
Disadvantages
Can accelerate wear in slurry handling equipment and concrete surfaces. Also will stick to teats, udder and wear hooves.
Worth knowing
Can be spread on the land, but be aware of long-term effect on soil pH.
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