正确的室内管理对奶牛的健康、舒适和生产高质量的牛奶至关重要. Regardless of the type of bedding material used, the goal of freestall management is the same: to provide a clean, comfortable place for the cows lie.
To keep cows happy, heathy 和 producing lots of milk, 这里有一些正确的独立式管理应该做和不应该做的事情，以保持舒适的独立式.
Comfortable cow in a s和-bedded freestall.
Do Keep Freestalls 清洁 和 Dry
正确的关键 freestall management is to keep mastitis-causing pathogens 和 other harmful bacteria at bay. Bacteria can be introduced into the stall in many ways, 从奶牛进入牛栏时从小巷里拖出的粪便和尿液到从奶牛的乳房上漏出的牛奶.
降低细菌生长和生存能力的一种方法是保持独立式床上用品的清洁和干燥. 清洁, 干床上用品 not only reduces the ability of bacteria to survive, 它还通过吸收奶牛体内的水分来保持奶牛的清洁和干燥.
清洁, dry beds are more comfortable, 和 more comfortable stalls lead to cows having longer bouts of lying time. When cows spend more time lying down, they produce more milk, which means higher profits for the dairy.
If bedding is being recycled, starting with clean, 干床上用品 is key. For s和 bedding, S和 Separation Systems 可以用来去除粪便流中的沙子，并洗掉回收分离沙子中的大部分有机物吗. For manure fiber bedding, Manure Separation Systems 和 肥料技艺 可以用来去除粪便纤维中的液体并将其干燥到适合床上用品的水分含量吗.
To get the s和 or recycled manure solids as dry as possible before reuse, dewatering or drying systems can be used following the separation process.
农业砂脱水筛可以减少多余的水分在回收分离砂低至6%, as well as remove up to 80% of the remaining organic matter. 在砂床烘干机中进一步干燥可以将水分含量降低到2%，几乎可以消除床上用品中的所有细菌. 沙子从床上用品烘干机排出后，可以立即在独立式容器中重复使用.
粪便垫层干燥机可以从65-70%水分的螺旋压机或辊压机中取出脱水的粪便，并去除额外的10-15%的水分. 干燥的粪便固体可以并且应该在从床上用品烘干机排出后立即重复使用.
Don’t Use the Wrong S和 (If Bedding On S和)
Not all s和 is created equally, 并不是任何沙子都能为奶牛提供舒适的躺卧场所，同时提供排水系统，使牛棚保持更长时间的清洁和干燥.
好的奶牛床上沙应该没有可能伤害奶牛的大颗粒. It should contain minimal fine material, which can cause the s和 to pack in the stalls, making them hard 和 uncomfortable (和 thus increasing stall maintenance). Fine material also tends to stick to the cows, causing them to appear dirty.
混凝土 s和 is the preferred s和 type 奶牛床上用品，因为它包含了一个很好的混合颗粒大小的理想的奶牛舒适. It contains minimal fine material, 这使得它在隔间里保持松散，并容易排出尿液和滴落的牛奶，从而导致乳腺炎细菌的生长.
Besides cow comfort 和 cleaner, 干燥的摊位, 混凝土砂也是砂粒分离和回收的理想砂类型，因为它含有极小的细粒材料，可以在回收过程中丢失.
回收 s和 bedding after being processed through a S和 Lane System.
Do Keep Stalls Full of S和 or Recycled Manure Solids
层理深度和频率是自由井管理的另一个关键因素.
床上用品深度
一项名为 Freestall Maintenance: Effects of Lying Behavior of 乳制品 Cattle published by the Journal of 乳制品 Science shows how bedding depth influences lying time. 研究发现，每24小时沙子深度每减少1厘米，躺卧时间就会减少11分钟.
垫料要足够深，以缓冲奶牛，但又不能深到保留水分，以免滋生细菌. 沙床式自由式墙应该有6-8英寸(15-20厘米)深，当奶牛走进牛栏时，它应该覆盖住奶牛的脚.
Because cows naturally like to rest facing slightly uphill, 铺盖应该在马厩的前面放得高一些，并向马路边倾斜. The height of the s和 in the back should be higher than the curb, as lying time was shown to decease when s和 fell below the height of the curb.
The s和 bedding in these stalls is level with or higher than the curb.
Bedding Frequency
The frequent addition of bedding material has several benefits:
- 当奶牛离开牛栏时，它会用新的床上用品替换掉被踢掉的床上用品.
- 它通过填充牛栏表面的凹陷来保持垫层深度，这些凹陷会对奶牛在床上的位置产生不利影响.
S和 bedding should be replaced at least once a week. 粪肥固体应该更频繁地更换，至少一周两次，有时每天更换. With both bedding types, 任何被污染的床上用品应每天从马厩移走一次，并在添加新床上用品之前移走.
摊位填料 提供一个简单的方法来替换在梳理过程中被牛踢出或移走的沙子. 它们安装在卡车或拖拉机上，可以快速有效地将适量的沙子分配到每个隔间.
Don’t Forget to Groom Freestalls When Necessary
当奶牛躺下时，床上用品会被它们的身体重量压得满满的. Grooming freestalls as needed improves cow comfort. Compacted bedding doesn’t drain as easily, so moisture can no longer wick away from cow, 和 stalls become wet 和 dirty faster.
摊位美容师 make it easy to rake 和 aerate the stalls between fillings. 他们连接到一个滑转向，并适合整齐地在颈部栏杆下访问一整排的自由式通道. 马厩保洁员帮助保持马厩松散和舒适，以便更好地排水, drier bedding 和 drier cows.
马厩保洁员打碎压实的床上用品，以保持马厩的舒适.
Do Design Freestalls for Easy Movement
Freestalls provide the ability for cows to come 和 go as they please. 它们的设计应该为牛群中最大的奶牛提供足够的空间, lie down comfortably, get up 和 exit easily. Stalls that are too small will discourage cows from lying in them. 太宽或太长的牛栏会让奶牛躺在对角线上或向前太远. 结果是粪便堆积在牛栏床上，并干扰相邻牛栏的奶牛.
A 1,300-1,500 pound cow requires a freestall space about 48” (1.21 m) wide 和 between 8’ (2.44米)和9英尺(2英尺).74米长, depending on the stall orientation. This provides enough space for her body to rest comfortably, 同时也为她在起身时自然地向前推她的头和脖子提供了空间.
颈轨, 位于隔板的顶部，帮助引导奶牛进入牛栏并将其与其他牛栏分开, 是否应该让牛群中最大的那头牛能在牛栏里站起来，脖子的顶部正好碰到栏杆. This prevents the cow from moving too far forward in the stall. 参观 乳制品l和 Initative to see the latest freestall dimension recommendations.
Cows lying in s和-bedded freestalls.
Freestall management is key to achieving optimum cow health 和 cow comfort. 适当的独立式管理首先要选择一个床上系统，为泌乳奶牛提供一个舒适的休息场所. 如果床上用品是回收的，选择一个回收系统，以产生最干净最干燥的床上用品. 保持完整的马厩床，确保它们柔软和松散，以确保舒适的休息表面. Following the best practices listed above will help you maintain clean, 干床上用品, comfortable freestalls 和 happy, 健康的, high milk-producing cows.
