Friday, March 29, 2024

Massey tries barn beds for cows

Avatar photo
Cow mattresses are being tested in an experimental $1.4 million freestall barn at Massey University.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Researchers are testing different types of mattresses – made from sand, rubber, and foam – to find which will provide the best comfort for cows, improve productivity, and minimise impact on water quality.

Massey planned to have 200 cows in the freestall barn to prevent them damaging wet winter soil and to reduce the summer-autumn urine load in the paddock, Professor Mike Hedley said.

Hedley, the lead researcher of the Pastoral 21 research programme comprising scientists from Massey, AgResearch, and DairyNZ at Massey’s No 4 dairy unit, said the barn would also reduce nutrient loss in surface run-off and drainage.

Urine and dung in the barn would be collected and applied as slurry to boost pasture production.

The low application rates would cause no increase in nitrogen loss through drainage water, he said.

A control group of another 200 cows farmed traditionally – grazed-off in winter and with a feed pad used on wet days in spring and winter – would also be monitored to compare production figures.

Researchers are testing different types of mattresses – made from sand, rubber, and foam – to find which will provide the best comfort for cows, improve productivity, and minimise impact on water quality.

The team reviewed American and European barn systems, as well as those in Southland and Canterbury before constructing the barn, Hedley said.

The farm-scale trial was intended to build on the findings of PhD student Christine Christensen, who refined the practice of duration-controlled grazing.

This allowed cows to eat their normal grass diet and be housed while they ruminated, rested and ate supplements, Hedley said.

A well-fed, productive cow spent about 11 hours a day lying and ruminating as it turned grass into milk.

The idea of the experimental barn was proposed in 2002.

Massey had trialled sand beds on dry stock but this trial would show impact on milk production figures, he said.

The barn experiment will start in January and will continue until 2016, when Hedley and his team will have tested the two systems for comparative productivity, cost and impact over the coming seasons.

As part of their prize as national winners of the 2013 Ballance Farm Environment Awards, Craige and Roz Mackenzie also checked out the barn as they travelled the country meeting the awards’ sponsors and learning about sustainable practices.

Total
0
Shares
People are also reading