Bedded Pack Shelters

Philip E. Wagner, Extension Agent - Dairy, Franklin County, Pa.
March 8, 2002

There has been a renewed interest by some dairy producers in bedded pack shelters for certain groups of adult dairy cattle. This housing scheme has been embraced by a group of dairy producers in the Harrisonburg, Virginia area over the past couple of years with good success.

This past November, I took a van load of dairy producers to Virginia to tour four dairies in the Harrisonburg area that have built a new bedded pack facility for all or a portion of the milking herd.  We had the opportunity to see several styles of shelters and building layouts. In our travels between farms, we passed four or five other dairies that have recently built or were in the process of constructing a bedded pack shelter for milk cows. A thanks goes out to Jerry Swisher, Area Dairy
Agent, Virginia Cooperative Extension, for putting the tour together.

So, why are these dairy producers choosing this housing alternative? What we heard from everyone were the words cow comfort and longevity. Dairy producers with these shelters believe cows will be more comfortable and last longer than in freestall shelters. Time will tell. Initial cost savings versus a freestall shelter was mentioned by a few. However, most have sized the building so that freestalls can easily be added later if the owner decides to do so. The shelter serves as part of the manure storage system on these farms.

Sizing is critical. Shelters are designed for 100 square feet or more of pack area per cow. Once the area per cow becomes smaller, a change in the cleanliness of the animals becomes obvious.  The cleanest cows appear to be those that have access to an outside sod lot in addition to the pack shelter.

All the producers we visited were using dried shavings for bedding. The supply is adequate in the area at the present time. What the supply will be in the future is always an unknown. All producers drag the pack one or more times per day with a tilling device to mix the bedding with the manure. Some version of a modified harrow is common. The shelters have high sidewalls like modern freestall barns which offers the opportunity for good airflow to help dry the surface of the pack. All shelters had fans to aid in cooling the cows and to help dry the surface of the pack. These fans will run in cool weather after the pack is stirred to aid in drying. The herds we visited had very acceptable somatic cell counts.

So, are today’s bedded pack shelters an option for some dairy producers? I think so. The design and management of today’s shelter is much different than forty years ago when we started moving from packs to freestalls. The goal in a pack shelter is to keep it as clean and dry as possible, just as the goal is in freestalls. This requires plenty of bedding and having 100 sq. ft. or more of pack area per cow. Stirring the pack is essential. This generally eliminates corn fodder and straw as a
bedding source. Therefore, know what your supply of shavings is before getting serious about this shelter. Use a barrier teat dip and be sure you are getting good coverage. Before doing anything, talk to your veterinarian about the udder health issue. Get his candid opinion on whether he thinks you can manage this system. Size the building so that freestalls can be added easily at a later time if you decide to do so. Take a look at group size and how it will match thoughput at your milking parlor.

And, take time and visit dairy producers who are using these systems. Then come home to think about what you saw and heard, push the pencil, and make a decision if this is a management system for you.