Choosing Bedding for Cattle in an Open Barn

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29 Aug 2026

Choosing Bedding for Cattle in an Open Barn

Start With Drainage, Not the Sawdust Bag

Every bedding decision in an open barn runs through drainage first. A shed with one side open to the weather catches rain, sleet and driving wind, and if water cannot leave the lying area quickly, no bedding will keep cattle dry for long. Before you order a single bale, look at the lie-back area and ask three questions: where does the water go, how quickly, and what stops it coming back?

A fall of around 1:20 towards an open channel or a gated drain works well, and the bedded area should sit slightly proud of the surrounding yard, often 50–75mm, so muck and moisture stay put rather than running across the feeding passage. Concrete that holds a film of water will keep a straw bed damp from underneath no matter how much you spread on top. Where rain blows in, a simple timber or stockboard upstand along the open side, or an angled windbreak, makes a surprising difference.

Get the water moving and the bedding choice becomes manageable. Get it wrong and you will be topping up daily and still finding wet, soiled patches under the cows.

Straw: The Familiar Choice

Straw remains the default on most smallholdings, and for good reason. Barley straw is generally the most absorbent and the easiest to work with, wheat straw is more brittle and hollow once it has been through the chopper, and oat straw tends to be softest of all but is palatable enough that cattle will eat it when forage is short.

Typical use: 2–3kg per cow per day for housed beef animals, rising to 4–5kg for deep-bedded suckler cows in an open yard.
Strengths: cheap per kilogram, builds a deep nest cattle can rootle into, and rots down readily into a bulky, valuable farmyard manure.
Watch out for: dusty or mouldy bales, which will set off coughing in a closed, still barn. Store under cover and reject anything with a musty smell or black patches.

Chopping straw as it is spread gives a lighter, more absorbent bed and saves your back. If you can blow it in, so much the better.

Wood Shavings and Sawdust

Shavings absorb more moisture per kilogram than straw, produce a much smaller muck heap, and if you buy kiln-dried material the dust levels are low. That combination makes them a sensible choice for calves, youngstock and any animal with a history of respiratory trouble.

Expect around 1–2kg per head per day for cattle. The trade-off is cost per cubic metre and the way shavings behave in the muck heap. They break down slowly, tying up nitrogen as they rot, so a heap that is mostly shavings is best left for a year before it goes on grassland. Avoid shavings on slatted floors, where they can block gaps and clog slurry pumps, and never use sawdust from treated or painted timber.

Sand: Superb for Hooves, Awkward Everywhere Else

Sand gives cattle excellent grip, drains urine away almost instantly, and harbours far less bacteria than an organic bed, which is why it has a strong following where digital dermatitis and sole bruising are persistent problems.

Depth: 150–250mm of clean, coarse, washed sand, topped up regularly rather than stirred.
Strengths: brilliant hoof health, dry lying surfaces, no dust, and it will not pack into a solid mat.
Drawbacks: heavy to handle at 5–10kg per cow per day, cold and unforgiving for young calves, abrasive to slurry equipment, and it settles in lagoons.

Fine builder's sand is the wrong product: it blows about, irritates eyes and airways, and turns into something closer to concrete when wet. Sand also needs its own muck heap, as it cannot be spread on arable land in the same way as straw or shavings. In an open barn, keep it well away from the open side so rain does not turn it into a gritty soup.

Matching Bedding to the Cattle in Front of You

There is no single right answer, only the right answer for a particular group of animals.

Suckler cows and dry cows in an open yard: deep straw, generously topped up, with a dry loafing area.
Young calves: shavings or chopped straw for warmth and cleanliness, with a full clean-out between batches.
Finishing cattle: straw or shavings, depending on whether you value muck volume or a smaller heap.
Herds with lameness history: sand or clean, dry shavings, and a strict rule about keeping the bed free of slurry.
Bulls and heavy animals: deep straw for grip, particularly on slopes and around gateways.

Depth, Topping Up and the Muck Heap

Start a fresh bed at 150–200mm and top up daily rather than waiting for the whole area to look soiled. Cattle need ten to fourteen hours of lying time a day, and a comfortable cow lies down more, cuds more and grows or milks better. If you find yourself pushing a matted, wet layer around with the loader, you have waited too long.

Plan your muck storage before winter. Keep heaps on an impermeable base, well away from watercourses and field drains, and allow at least six months before spreading. Straw-based manure is the most versatile; shavings need longer; sand needs a separate system or a contractor who can handle it.

Roof the store if you can. Dry bedding in, dry bedding out, and a heap that does not leach is a smallholding job done properly.

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Simple Biosecurity Steps for a Backyard Flock

A calm race, non-slip flooring and quiet voices make routine checks safer for both shepherd and sheep in winter.

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5 Comments

Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply
- John Abraham says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
  
  I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
  Reply
  - Robert Sonnysays Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am
    
    I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
    Reply
Robert Sonny says Jul 21, 2024 at 10:00am

I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of denouncing pleasure and praising pain was born and I will give you a complete account of the system
Reply

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