Dairy Free Stall Preference Field Study

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1 AS 652 ASL R Diry Free Stll Preference Field Study Dle Thoreson Iow Stte University Leo L. Timms Iow Stte University Don Ly Purdue University Recommended Cittion Thoreson, Dle; Timms, Leo L.; nd Ly, Don (2006) "Diry Free Stll Preference Field Study," Animl Industry Report: AS 652, ASL R2100. Aville t: This Diry is rought to you for free nd open ccess y the Animl Science Reserch Reports t Digitl Iow Stte University. It hs een ccepted for inclusion in Animl Industry Report y n uthorized dministrtor of Digitl Iow Stte University. For more informtion, plese contct digirep@istte.edu.

2 Iow Stte University Animl Industry Report 2006 Diry Free Stll Preference Field Study A.S. Leflet R2100 Dle Thoreson, diry extension field specilist; Leo Timms, ssocite professor of niml science; Don Ly, ssocite professor of niml science, Purdue U. Summry nd Implictions The current field study ws conducted to evlute six different free stll surfce options nd their impct on stll usge nd comfort, edding usge, niml clenliness nd helth, nd economics. Results showed significntly different stll usges with different stll surfces nd significnt stll surfce y week or seson interction. Snd stlls showed significntly higher usge in summer, followed y snd stll with snd trps, Psture nd Agromtic mttresses, nd Dynmt ruer mts, respectively. Snd with Snd Trps nd oth Psture Mts showed significntly higher stll usge during the fll nd winter weeks (no differences etween them) nd Dynmt ruer mts showed the lowest usge in ll 3 periods. The ddition of Snd Trps to the snd stlls significntly reduced snd usge (69%). Greter vrition in usge ws seen with snd nd Dynmts, s compred to the 4 other surfces. This reserch sustntites differences in cow preferences for stll surfce mterils depending on seson, temperture, surfce hrdness, nd surfce mintennce. Introduction Mny producers re currently considering moderniztion nd/ or expnsion. Coupled to this re mny questions regrding fcility nd stll design nd comfort integrted with different mnure hndling systems. Snd is generlly considered very comfortle for nimls ut is often perceived s lor intensive. Snd lso presents hndling prolems with certin mnure systems. Different mts nd mttresses provide other options for stll surfces. Mny of these hve n initil higher cpitl cost compred to snd, do require dily mintennce nd dequte edding, ut offer more mnure hndling options, s well s non chnging surfce se conformtion for nimls to rest on. This field study ws conducted to evlute six different free stll surfces nd their impct on stll usge / comfort, edding usge, niml clenliness / helth, nd economics. Mterils nd Methods This tril ws conducted on the Dn Lyon frm in Wukon, Iow. Dn ws in the process of expnsion nd uilding 6 row, 120 cow free stll rn with drive through feeding. Initilly, Dn ws going to use snd for ll stlls ut ecme interested in evluting different stll surfces nd edding options. Tril ws conducted in coopertion with Iow Stte University nd the Nturl Resource Conservtion Service. Hlf of the rn (3 rows, 60 stlls) ws used for the study. Six different stll surfce/edding lterntives were utilized with locks of 3-4 stlls per surfce type rndomized in ech row of stlls (10 totl stlls/ surfce type) (Figure 1). The six stll lterntives were 1) Dynmt: 2 thick pressed ruer mtrix mt with corrugted undersurfce (Dynmtrics, Inc., Pierceton, N); 2) Krigurg soft ed system: crpet fom underlyment with solid ruer mt top cover (Agromtic, Inc., Fond du Lc, WI); 3) Psture Mt #1: multi celled mttress filled with crum ruer nd fric top cover (Promt Ltd., Ontrio, Cnd); 4) Psture Mt #2: sme s #3 ut with different top cover; 5) Snd lone; nd 6) Snd with Snd Trp instlled: recycled tire strips cled together on edge (Topper, Inc., Monticello, IA). Swdust ws used for edding on stll surfces 1-4. Stlls were mintined (swept, rked) t lest twice dily nd edding dded s needed. The rn ws populted t 95-97% cpcity throughout the tril. Animls were only removed from this rn re upon dry off or for severe helth prolems. Cows were llowed to cclimte to the rn for 4 weeks prior to study initition. During this time 7 cmers were instlled for future video recording. Continuous videos of ll stlls were tken for one week followed y 3-4 weeks with no video. This sequence ws replicted 3 times over 4-month period. Animl stll usge ws evluted from 4:00 m to 10:00 p.m. dily t 15-minute increments using the video. Also, oservtions on niml position within the stll were recorded. Stlls were visully evluted dily during the video tping sessions. Clenliness of ech stll ws evluted using 4-point scle. Stll usge nd ny norml wer or prolems were lso noted. Stlls were edded with new mterils on the dy prior to initition of video recording. Bedding mounts of snd or swdust used were lso recorded. Stll usge is reported s the squre root of the numer of times stll ws occupied divided y the numer of stll oservtions. Results Results from ll three weeks (Figure 5) showed overll differences in usge y stll type ut there ws significnt seson (week) y stll tretment effect so ech week ws nlyzed seprtely. Snd free stlls, during the summer (Figure 2), hd 8 usge rte, which mens snd free stlls were occupied 6 percent of the totl time the cmers oserved those stlls. Snd stlls showed significntly higher usge in summer, followed y snd stll with snd trps, Psture nd Agromtic mttresses, nd Dynmt ruer mts, respectively (Figure 2). Fll nd Winter weeks / trils (Figures 3 nd 4) resulted in the Psture Mt #1 nd #2 nd the Snd with Snd Sver stlls ll hving significntly greter use thn the three other tretments (no significnt difference mong them, however).

3 Iow Stte University Animl Industry Report 2006 Dynmt rnked lowest in ech of the trils with occupncy rtes of 12, 30 nd 26 percent of the time respectively for summer, fll nd winter weeks. Stll tretment usge rnged from high of 6% for the Snd stll tretment during the summer replicte to 12% for the Dynmt (lso during summer tretment). Bedding mterils consisted of wshed snd used on the Snd nd Snd Sver tretments nd kiln dried swdust (Hwkeye Swdust, Des Moines, IA.) on the four mttress tretments. Snd usge ws 52 pounds per stll on snd stlls, nd 16 pounds per Snd Sver stll ech dy (69% reduction in snd usge). Ech stll of the four mttress tretments received 3.2 pounds of swdust per dy. Wether dt ws gthered from the Northest Iow Reserch Frm locted ner Nshu (~ 50 miles SW of the Lyon frm). Averge weekly tempertures were 76.05, 60.18, nd degree Fhrenheit respectively for the first, second nd third week of trils (devitions from 29 yer verge of +4.28, -1.51, nd +9.43, respectively). Dt from personl oservtions of the stlls nd cows twice dy during ech of the three weeks of trils y the technicin, nor individul dily vrition in stll usge within ech tretment week hve een nlyzed. The reduced use of the snd free stlls from summer to the winter period is surprising. Authors elieve tht during colder tempertures, initil edded snd my hve een more uneven nd cold. Cooperting frmer reported tht he spent more time clening nd mintining the snd free stlls thn the other five tretments, lthough no dt on lor use per stll ws collected. This my hve lso influenced usge. Severl pulic events were conducted to expose the griculturl community to this field tril. An open house ws held prior to the cclimtion period. Over 200 persons ttended. A Minnesot frm study tour of 42 diry frmers nd griculturl usinesses visited the tril. Numerous individul visitors stopped y the frm to oserve the cow's usge of the different free stll surfce. Conclusions Results showed significntly different stll usges with different stll surfces nd significnt stll surfce y week or seson interction. Snd stlls showed significntly higher usge in summer, followed y snd stll with snd trps, Psture nd Agromtic mttresses, nd Dynmt ruer mts, respectively. Snd with Snd Trps nd oth Psture Mts showed significntly higher stll usge during the fll nd winter weeks (no differences etween them) nd Dynmt ruer mts showed the lowest usge in ll 3 periods. The ddition of Snd Trps to the snd stlls significntly reduced snd usge (69%). This reserch sustntites ht there re different cow preferences for stll surfce mterils depending on seson, temperture, surfce hrdness, nd surfce mintennce. Figure 1. Free stll surfce tril design.

4 Iow Stte University Animl Industry Report 2006 Stll Usge During the W eek of July 21 st to 28 th A 2" Mt-Dynmtrix B Snd C M ttress- A grom tic D M ttress- Psture M t #1 E Snd with Snd Sver F M ttress- Psture m t #2 d Usge c c e Figure 2. Stll usge during the first video week of the tril. Stll Usge During the Week of Septemer 24 th to Octoer 2 nd A 2" M t-d ynm trix B Snd C M ttress- A grom tic D Mttress- Psture Mt #1 E Snd with Snd Sver F M ttress- Psture M t #2 Usge Figure 3. Stll usge during the second video week of the tril.

5 Iow Stte University Animl Industry Report 2006 Stll Usge During the W eek of Novemer 24 th to Decemer 3 rd A 2" M t-dynmtrix B Snd C M ttress- AgroM tic D M ttress- Psture M t #1 E Snd with Snd Sver F M ttress- Psture M t #2 Usge c,c c Figure 4. Stll usge during the third video week of the tril. Stll Usge for Ech Type of Stll Flooring From July to Decemer A 2" Mt-Dynmtrix B Snd C Mttress- AgroMtic D Mttress- Psture Mt #1 E Snd with Snd Sver F Mttress- Psture Mt #2 Usge Figure 5. Stll usge for the entire tril (ll weeks comined).

2013 Flax Weed Control Trial

2013 Flax Weed Control Trial 2013 Flx Weed Control Tril Dr. Hether Drby, UVM Extension Agronomist Susn Monhn, Conner Burke, Eric Cummings, nd Hnnh Hrwood UVM Extension Crops nd Soils Technicins 802-524-6501 Visit us on the web: http://www.uvm.edu/extension/cropsoil