One question we ask ourselves quite often is “What is best for the cows?”
Whether it’s a new purchase, an improvement or daily decisions, cow comfort has been on our radar along with how to improve the quality of our freestall barn. It is a three-row garen open to the east. The stalls themselves were mats with wood shavings for bedding and flex stalls. We made the decision to switch to sand stalls. We hired a local business to help us take out the mats, tear out concrete and then cement in a new curb and brisket. The whole project took about six days, and the cows were quite confused as they got shuffled around. A new manure pump and auger are coming soon to handle the sand and manure waste. So far, it’s been a great improvement, and the cows seem much more comfortable. We’ve seen much cleaner cows coming into the parlor and more time spent in the stalls.
The summer months were always hard on us with the flies and heat. With this update, we hope to see a boost in production as the cows stay a little cooler and more comfortable. Definitely something we are going to monitor and watch closely. I may even take a beach towel and a glass of lemonade and join the girls. It’s kind of like a day at the beach every day!
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