Using wood fibre to bed livestock

Straw prices of over £140/t this year is driving farmers to look at alternatives. Lots of farmers around the country are investigating wood fibres (or wood fines) as material for successful livestock substitute bedding. The wood waste product is a popular choice for sheep and cattle, particularly for bull pens.

How to make wood fibre

Recycling companies bring in waste wood products such as pallets and furniture to be processed. The wood comes from a wide range of sources; from old household furniture to industrial demolition company waste. This is then chipped to form two streams – the larger material between 30mm to 60mm is turned into wood chips for burning or making chip boards. The other product is wood fibre which can be used for bedding livestock.

The first step in the process is the shredding facility. All the timber is cut and torn into small pieces then separated into wood chips and fibre. After this, the wood fibre goes through a magnetic band which removes ferromagnetic material like nails. Secondly, the fibre goes through an eddy current separator which takes out the non-phosphorous metals like brass and aluminium. After this the material is ready to be sent to the farm.

Gerry Burns of Jenkinson Woodwaste said: “We are selling about 800t a week of wood fibre right now. From the end of September until a couple weeks ago we were incredibly busy. You can get any amount from a bulk bag to an articulated lorry. Whilst the straw has gone bonkers, we will always have availability in cattle bedding. Our price has only gone up £2/t this year compared to last.”

Cattle on wood fibre

Wood fibres can be both deep- and shallow-bedded in courts. Shallow bedding needs to be regularly added to, as the top layer gets soiled. On the other hand deep bedding can be left for a number of weeks but not all sheds can accommodate the volume of wood fibre.

William Barrie, who farms with his father James at Rumbletonrig Farm in the Borders has regularly used wood fibre for bedding cows. He said: “It’s a good material for cattle. The difference with wood fibre is that they allow the fluid to drain through the material, as opposed to being absorbed. The moisture is then evaporated into the air from the court. I am hoping to get 12 weeks out of the wood fibres as they are bedded deep.”

James has bedded 100 cows, split in two courts in a 75ft x 120ft shed with 130t of wood fibres. Importantly the cattle also have access to a feed pass to increase the longevity of the bedding material. The wood fibres were delivered for £32/t.

It is important to rotate the material and keep it well mixed. “We go in to the shed with the loader and the fork and break up the top of the wood fibre. It mixes the drier bottom material with the wet stuff at the top which has most of the dung on it,” said William.

Sheep on wood fibre

It’s not just cattle which are being housed on wood fibres but sheep too. Louis Macvie, of Langtonlees beside Duns uses wood fibre as a base layer for his indoor lambing flock.

“We came across it by accident because we had the chance to use some of it on a motocross track to incorporate it with the soil and make it rideable in the wintertime,” said Louis. “We thought we would try it in the sheep shed when the ewes came in. Previously we used sawdust but it’s getting more scarce.”

Louis bought just over 20t of wood fibres from England for £300. He applies the wood fibre 6 to 8in deep at the bottom then tops up with straw through the spring. He runs 600 Texel cross ewes split between a February and end-of-March lambing.

“The wood fibre helps reduce the moisture in the bedding making it last longer. After we are finished it just goes into a midden with the cattle mulch, spread into the land and ploughed under,” said Louis. “The plastics are so minute that we don’t worry. Occasionally you get the odd glint of glass but is rounded off and very rare.”

On the future of wood fibres on his farm Louis, is looking to expand. “We have 240 cows and with many on slats which don’t need much bedding. But after attending the SAC climate change event at Rumbletonrig farm I am thinking of trying the fibres with the cattle.”

Disposing of wood fibres

Most farmers will either mix the wood fibres with muck or spread it onto the fields on its own. The material has a much lower nutrient value compared to muck. Further, it takes longer to be broken down. The carbon in the material will absorb surrounding nitrogen as microbes break it down. It is recommended that when spreading finished wood fibres to do it thinly over the ground.

Small pieces of plastics are still present in the wood fibres. This a concern from James Barrie who said: “I am anxious about the long term impact of putting these materials onto the land for a long number of years. I would like to know more about the impact it might have on the soil and any potential change to the rules.”

Licence

It is important for farmers to obtain a waste licence from SEPA before handling the material. This is a fairly simple procedure and many of the companies delivering wood fibres will automatically do this for you.

SAC top tips

Donald Dunbar, SAC consulting held a talk about wood fibre bedding at John Mitchell’s at Rumbletonrig Farm near Greenlaw in the Scottish Borders. John will be bedding one court of 60 weaned calves with a shallow wood fibre bedding. This will then be compared to a same-sized court with the same number of calves on straw. The costs will then be compared after winter.

Donald Dunbar’s top tips for wood fibre bedding are:

  • Ask for a sample of the wood fibres to assess how much contaminant is in the load. The higher the grade, the fewer and smaller the contaminants. Get an assurance from the seller that all metal, such as nails and screws, has been taken out of the recycled wood fibres.
  • Think about sloping the bedding towards the feed pass. Most dung and urine is expelled around the feed trough so this concentrates the dirty bedding. You can then scrape out the more concentrated waste and prolong the life of the bedding.