Two of the biggest priorities for dairy farmers are keeping their herd healthy and producing high-quality milk. Several factors contribute to the outcome of high-quality milk, 但奶牛的舒适度可能是最重要的因素之一. One of the easiest ways to ensure cow comfort is to use proper 床上用品及管理办法 为了鹿群.
1. 使用沙子作为垫层
在选择奶牛的床上的材料时, 奶牛的舒适度是需要考虑的最重要的方面. Cows should ideally spend 14 hours or more a day resting and ruminating to help increase milk production. 奶牛生活得越舒服 她会产更多的奶.
舒适的床上用品也对奶牛的健康起着重要作用. 舒适的床上用品, 加上适当设计的独立式谷仓, 会鼓励奶牛躺下吗, 从而减少过度站立和 降低跛脚的风险 从受伤到脚.
While there are various material options that can be used as bedding, 沙子对奶牛的舒适度最好，原因如下:
- Sand allows moisture from leaked milk or urine to drain away from cows, 让它们保持更长时间的清洁干燥. 奶牛更喜欢吃 干垫料 在一个潮湿的地方. This is shown by the significant decrease in cow lying times on wet bedding.
- Sand is inorganic, so it doesn’t promote the growth of mastitis-causing bacteria.
- Sand provides traction for the cows and reduces the potential for foot or joint injury. 它足够柔软，可以为奶牛提供缓冲, yet abrasive enough to clean between the toes of the cows’ feet.
- 在温暖的天气里，沙子可以起到降温的作用. 热应激的奶牛往往站立的时间更长, so cool bedding (along with fans and misters) can be crucial for preventing heat stress.
- 沙子可以回收利用 随着砂石分离设备的使用， 为你省钱 通过减少所需的新砂量.
All these benefits make sand an ideal bedding material for dairy cows.
哪种沙子最好
当选择 铺层用砂的等级, you should select a sand that doesn’t contain large particles that could cause hoof injuries. Bedding sand should also be devoid of excessive amounts of silts or clay, 哪一种能在隔间里装得结实.
混凝土砂是奶牛床上用品的最佳选择 因为它是由粗砂和细砂混合而成的. This mix is the most ideal for separation and reuse and allows for the highest level of sand recovery. 混凝土 sand doesn’t compact as quickly as other grades of sand with an abundance of fine silts and clays, 这样奶牛就可以躺在松软舒适的垫子上. 混凝土 sand is available around the world and is always a consistent particle size.
2. 遵循摊位设计和维护的最佳做法
如何 摊位的设计和维护 牛的舒适也至关重要吗. Stalls should be designed with the appropriate dimensions to allow the cows to move in and out freely and comfortably throughout the day. 当铺在沙子上时, the sand in the stall should be higher in the front and slope downward toward the curb at the back of the stall. 沙子应该至少有6 -8英寸深, and the bedding should always remain above the back curb of the stall. Regular grooming of the stall is important to maintain a full bed of clean, soft sand.
Because of movement and compacting, sand levels in stalls will drop over time. 在一个 这项研究是由英属哥伦比亚大学完成的, 床上用品每下降一厘米, 奶牛躺在床上的时间平均会减少11分钟. The average dairy cow uses an average of 50 pounds of sand each day. 因为这个，新的 畜栏应增加床上用品 每周至少一次. 整理马厩 in between fillings helps to keep the sand loose and comfortable.
Keeping cows and their bedding clean and dry eliminates the potential for bacteria to grow. 因为细菌可以在潮湿的环境中生长, it is best to minimize the amount of moisture in the bedding prior to filling the stalls.
3. Consider sand separation and recycling to keep costs and pathogens low
配有机械砂分离设备, dairy producers can recycle sand bedding for reuse without impacting cow health or milk quality. 隔砂系统 allow producers to capture 90% or more of the sand from the manure stream. 这些系统用于清洁, 脱水和干燥沙子，以便更快地重复使用, ensuring high-quality sand is placed back into the freestalls.
因为它们能产生清洁的再生砂垫层, 隔砂系统 provide a cost savings to the dairy by reducing the amount of new sand that needs to be purchased. 这些系统还可以用于 在厌氧消化之前对粪便进行预处理 这样生产者就能从中受益 铺在沙子上，使用蒸煮器.
Mechanical 隔砂系统 are made up of various pieces of equipment such as Sand-Manure分隔符, 农业水力旋流器, 振动筛和床上用品烘干机. These systems are scalable and can be adjusted based on dairy size. 像 SMS12 是为少于400头奶牛的奶牛场设计的吗, while larger Sand-粪便分离 Systems can be used on dairies with thousands of cows in the herd.
Sand-Manure分隔符
Sand-Manure分隔符 are used to recover sand particles from sand-laden manure streams, 以及清洗和脱水的沙子重复使用. 它们产生一种干净的, dewatered sand product that contains minimal organic content and requires minimal conditioning prior to reuse.
农业 水力旋流器
农业水力旋流器 can be used as a primary means of sand separation in applications where manure is highly diluted, or they can be used as a secondary means of separation following conventional Sand-粪便分离 Systems. 当与沙肥分离器一起使用时, 农业水力旋流器 can increase sand recovery by up to 10%.
瓶屏幕
瓶屏幕 是沙肥分离系统的附加组件吗. Installing a Shaker Screen after a Sand-Manure Separator will 去除最多40%的剩余水分, reducing the amount of conditioning required and improving turnaround times. Bedding is discharged from the Shaker Screen at approximately 12% moisture, which means it is considered “drip-free” and reusable in less than one week.
床上用品烘干机
添加一个 床上用品干燥机 to the Sand-粪便分离 System can further dry the sand to around 1% moisture. 床上用品烘干机还能消除细菌和有机物. Sand from a 床上用品干燥机 can and should be reused immediately in stalls, 减少了处理时间.
沙巷系统
沙巷系统 are used to wash and dewater bedding sand that has been harvested from a sand settling lane. 有了这个系统, sand is scooped from your sand lane and loaded directly into the Sand Lane System, where the sand is further reduced of water and organic material. This increases recovery rates and reduces handling time, leaving you with a cleaner, drier sand.
Bedding material should always be picked with cow comfort in mind. 沙垫对奶牛来说很舒服，而且可以循环使用. The recyclability of sand helps you save money while keeping the best interest of your herd in mind, 使它成为马厩床上用品的最佳选择之一.
