Response of Dairy Cattle Given a Free Choice of Free Stall Location and Three Bedding Materials

Dewatered manure solids (29% dry matter), dehydrated manure solids (90% dry matter), and sawdust (81% dry matter) were compared as bedding materials for dairy cattle allowed free choice of the bedding materials in free stalls.The three bedding materials were placed in three free stall sections of nine stalls each and were rotated at the beginning of three consecutive week-long periods.Nine lactating dairy cows were placed in the 27 free stall barn and observed for 48 h during each of the three periods via a TV camera-video tape recording system.A trial during late winter was repeated during midsummer.Cows spent 13.3 h/day lying in free stalls during the winter trial and 5.9 h/day during the summer trial.Cows spent an average of .5, 6.6, and 6.2 h/day lying on dewatered manure solids, dehydrated manure solids, and sawdust during the winter trial and .5, 3.4, and 2.0 h/day during the summer trial.The relative cost of producing an amount of the above respective bedding materials to fill one 122 x 213 cm free stall to a depth of 10 cm was $2.63, $11.46, and $1.27.