Barn health a top priority

Having good volumes of silage is important to cow health.

Two Southland farmers with similar attitudes but differing systems are readying their winter housing to make sure their herds will be comfortable.

Kevin Hall, based in Wyndham, has three woodchip loose housed facilities on his support block where he overwinters 680 cows from May to August. Cows usually arrive on the block over two or three days and are gradually introduced to the barns, keeping them in the same mobs.

"Having well-fed cows is essential. Most dominant cows are happy to lie down when they have eaten enough. We don't see any problems with cows bullying each other when we provide good volumes of feed and push the silage up every day," says Kevin.

It's really important to check the water system to make sure that the pressure hasn't changed since the barn was last used, says Kevin.

"Never underestimate how much cows drink when they first are put on to a silage diet, especially if the silage is a bit drier. I would estimate my cows drink 30 to 40 litres a day," says Kevin.

Kevin's preparations start well before winter, water blasting the effluent systems and making sure bedding is ordered.

"It's worthwhile ensuring the bedding is level prior to cows going in. Leaving cows to level their own bedding can be risky as big dips can cast cows on occasion," says Kevin.

Tapanui farmer Mark van Baarle has had a freestall barn for eight years where he houses 525 cows. At other times of the year Mark uses half his barn as a feed pad.

Hygiene is a priority and Mark water-blasts the whole barn annually, paying special attention to the mattresses. This base cleanliness sets up a system for disinfecting the mattresses twice a week, scraping the backs of mattresses and using lime daily. Mark even makes his own lightweight mattress scrapers to make it easier to complete the task.

New staff are fully supported with written procedures and a reference document for use after the first training sessions have taken place.

Kevin and Mark have lots of experience with their systems and realise the importance of keeping up to date with minor tasks and to organise the major ones when the facility is empty.-- Inside Dairy, DairyNZ