Correct cubicle liming/cleaning procedure
Keeping dry cow cubicle beds clean and dry is essential for mastitis prevention. Recent surveys found a massive variation in terms of lime use per cow/cubicle and also in the amount of times cubicles are limed per day.
The recommendation is to use 1t of lime for every 20 cows (50kg per cow) for a five-month winter. That is 32kg per day (16kg morning/16kg evening) over 150 days of liming for milking/dry cows.
Weigh how much goes into your bucket and check if what you are using is correct. Talking to over 100 farmers on what they have done to make this important but not-so-nice task of liming and cleaning cubicles easier, the following steps were recommended:
- Brisket boards fitted in the cubicles are simple, cost effective and keep cubicles cleaner.
- Have a dedicated area for storage of lime that is near to cubicles.
- Store lime in an IBC tank with the top cut off. This is easier than filling buckets from a bulk bag.
- Wear goggles and gloves. Lime can be dangerous to the eyes, hands and lungs.
- Write down instructions on numbers of buckets to be used every day and have this placed up over where the lime is stored.
- Invest in a mechanical liming/cleaning machine. You still have to lift and fill the hopper with lime but especially in larger herd sizes, it can save some time and make the task easier. The design and layout of sheds will dictate what machine you can purchase.
The above article first appeared in the Teagasc Dairy Advisory Newsletter for January 2025, edited by Dr. Joe Patton, Teagasc Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer.