Bedding for dairy cows has one job above all: keep the cow lying down, clean and dry. A cow that rests comfortably rests longer, and a dry bed keeps the udder cleaner at milking. This guide shows how to choose the right way: it compares the common materials, sets out what to look for in wood bedding, and gives the figures for the shavings and sawdust Woodbase ships from Vietnam.
What Good Dairy Bedding Does
- Cushions: a soft bed protects knees, hocks and hooves from a hard floor.
- Stays dry: it soaks up urine and moisture so the cow does not lie in wet.
- Keeps the udder clean: a clean, dry surface means less dirt on teats at milking.
- Is easy to manage: wet patches can be lifted out and fresh bedding spread without heavy work.
Common Bedding Materials Compared
- Straw: traditional, soft and widely available, but bulky to store and quick to break down when wet.
- Sand: an inorganic bed that does not feed bacteria and gives good footing, but it is heavy to handle and wears manure systems.
- Rubber mats: long-lasting cushioning, usually topped with a layer of bedding to absorb moisture.
- Recycled manure solids: dried manure fibre, low in cost where a separator is installed, but it needs close management to stay dry.
- Wood shavings: absorbent, soft and light, easy to spread and to muck out.
- Sawdust: finer than shavings, so it packs into a dense, even layer.
Wood Shavings or Sawdust for Cows?
Both are wood, and the choice is about texture. Shavings make a looser, springier bed; our 1–15 mm cut has the larger flakes that suit cattle pens. Sawdust, screened to 1–5 mm, lies flat in a dense, even layer. Whichever you choose, check that it is dry and low in fine dust: dusty bedding is as hard on a cow's lungs as on a horse's.
What to Check in Wood Bedding
- Moisture: bedding that arrives damp cannot soak up much more. Our wood shavings and sawdust are dried to 10% moisture or less.
- Cut: the flake size should suit the stalls and stay the same from load to load.
- Cleanliness: no bark, stones, plastic or nails, and a fresh wood smell.
- Packing: compressed blocks keep the bedding clean in transport and storage.
For the full list, read how to distinguish good and bad wood shavings.
Managing the Bed
Lift out wet and soiled patches every day and top up with fresh bedding, so the surface stays dry. Keep the barn ventilated: moisture in the air ends up in the bed. Store bedding blocks dry and covered until use, and open them where they will be spread. Used wood bedding mixed with manure composts well; see how long wood shavings take to decompose.
Cow Bedding from Woodbase
- Wood Shavings: mixed pine and acacia, moisture ≤ 10%, 1–5 mm or 1–15 mm, in compressed blocks of 10, 15 or 20 kg.
- Wood Sawdust: acacia and pine, dried to 10% moisture or less, screened to 1–5 mm and pressed into compressed blocks.
A 40ft HC container holds on average 22–24 tons of shavings, depending on compression, and we supply about 20 containers a month from a minimum of one container, paid by T/T or L/C. For your first order, see how to import wood shavings from Vietnam.
