Thursday, 13 September 2018 09:55

Are your cows lying down enough?

Written by  Helen Thoday, DairyNZ animal care team manager
Phillip Buckthought and Bridget Dewar on one of their stand off pads. Phillip Buckthought and Bridget Dewar on one of their stand off pads.

We all know how important it is to get eight hours sleep, and while cows have different sleep patterns from us, they do need to spend a similar amount of time lying down. 

But wet weather like we’ve been experiencing in some parts of the country can make lying down understandably less appealing. 

For those of you using stand-off pads to protect your pasture, DairyNZ and AgResearch developed a simple test you can do with your gumboots and an online calculator to identify when it’s getting too damp and requires maintenance. 

Research has found that when the moisture content of a stand-off pad’s surface reaches 75%, cows will stop lying down.

The Stand-off pad gumboot test and Tipping point calculator are both available on the DairyNZ website. 

We tested the tools with farmers to ensure they made the grade. North Waikato farmer Phillip Buckthought and his contract milkers Brett and Bridget Dewar were among those to trial them.  

Phillip, who has three stand-off pads on his Paeroa farm, tested the Tipping point calculator. 

“It gives a really good idea of when you need to top your pad up with fresh wood chip,” he says. 

“We have found post peel by far the best option, and it’s very important to scratch up when spreading it. As the old saying goes, ‘attention to detail’ is vital.”

Brett, Bridget and their staff trialled the gumboot test. Bridget went on the pads every day, and staff members once a week, to check with their gumboots how slushy or dry the pads were. 

“The gumboot test gave us an earlier indication of whether we needed to give a stand-off pad a rest for a couple of days or a few weeks.

“With the new information, we rested one pad for a couple of days whereas before we would have kept using it. Doing it this way is better for the cows because they lie down more on the stand-off pad and less in the paddock – which is what you want,” Bridget says.

As part of the trial, they monitored for a week how long the cows lay down on the stand-off pads and in the field. The cows were on the pads from 3pm to 9am and on pasture for six hours.

“We learnt you have to watch the cows when they go out to the paddock. If they lie down it means they’re not resting on the pad enough. 

“They should be eating when they’re in the paddock not lying down,” Bridget says.

“The gumboot test should be standard practice. It’s brilliant.”

For more information on managing stand-off pads, visit dairynz/stand-off-pads.

• Helen Thoday is DairyNZ animal care team manager.

More like this

Strong uptake of good wintering practices

DairyNZ has seen a significant increase in the number of farmers improving their wintering practices, which results in a higher standard of animal care and environmental protection.

Better animal genetic gain system

A governance group has been formed, following extensive sector consultation, to implement the recommendations from the Industry Working Group's (IWG) final report and is said to be forming a 'road map' for improving New Zealand's animal genetic gain system.

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of a major software project.

Featured

Massey Research Field Day attracts huge interest

More than 200 people turned out on Thursday, November 21 to see what progress has been made on one of NZ's biggest and most comprehensive agriculture research programmes on regenerative agriculture.

Expo set to wow again

Stellar speakers, top-notch trade sites, innovation, technology and connections are all on offer at the 2025 East Coast Farming Expo being once again hosted in Wairoa in February.

A year of global challenges

As a guest of the Italian Trade Association, Rural News Group Machinery Editor Mark Daniel took the opportunity to make an early November dash to Bologna to the 46th EIMA exhibition.

Boost for hort exports

The horticulture sector is a big winner from recent free trade deals sealed with the Gulf states, says Associate Agriculture Minister Nicola Grigg.

National

OSPRI's costly software upgrade

Animal disease management agency OSPRI has announced sweeping governance changes as it seeks to recover from the expensive failure of…

Machinery & Products

BA Pumps expand

Cambridge based BA Pumps & Sprayers, specialists in New Zealand-made spraying equipment, has acquired Tokoroa Engineering’s product range, including the…

Entries open for innovation award

Fieldays and its renowned Innovation Awards are celebrating their 57th year, marking a longstanding tradition in the agricultural calendar, with…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Chinese strategy

OPINION: Fonterra may have sold its dairy farms in China but the appetite for collaboration with the country remains strong.

Not fair

OPINION: The Listener's latest piece on winter grazing among Southland dairy farmers leaves much to be desired.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter