A cattle farm is nothing like an equestrian centre. There are no rows of identical stables with one horse in each. There are bedded yards, cubicles, a calving pen and calf hutches, and every farmer manages them in their own way. That is why at Visecorsa we do not sell farms “a shaving”, but the product that fits each use. When we talk about wood shavings for cattle, we always start with how the farm works.
We make natural wood sawdust and shavings at our plant in Betanzos and deliver them in bulk with our own lorries throughout Galicia. Here are the options and how they are usually combined.
Three products, depending on how much sawdust you want
What leaves our plant is natural wood, with no glues or treatments. The difference is the grain:
- Fine sawdust. The finest product. Very absorbent and easy to spread in bedded yards and cubicles. It is what farms use most for daily bedding.
- Mixed shavings. Sawdust and shavings together. A little more body and fluffiness than sawdust alone, with good absorption. A middle option for those who want a softer bed without moving up to white shavings.
- White shavings. Clean, screened, dust-free shavings. The same ones we supply for horses, and the ones farmers prefer for the calving pen and calf hutches, where the animal is most exposed.
You decide the proportion. Some farmers use only sawdust, others want more shavings in the mix, and others combine them: sawdust for the beds and white shavings for calving. Tell us how you work and we will prepare the product.
Wood shavings for cattle: what goes in each area of the farm
Beds and cubicles. Sawdust or mixed shavings. A layer is spread on the lying area, soiled material is removed daily and topped up. A dry bed encourages the cow to lie down, and that shows in welfare and in production.
Calving pen. White shavings. The cow spends hours lying down, the calf is born on the bedding and the first colostrum feeds happen there. Clean, dust-free shavings keep the environment dry and reduce the risk of navel infections and respiratory problems in the newborn.
Hutches and rearing. White or mixed shavings. Calves have little fat reserve, and in the damp winters of northern Spain the bedding is their main insulation from the floor. A deep, dry layer stops them using energy to keep warm and holds back the bacteria that cause scours.
Sick pen. White shavings. Cows with lameness, mastitis or recovering from illness rest better on a soft, dry bed that is easy to renew.
Bulk with a walking floor: the easiest way for a farm
We deliver to Galician farms in bulk with our own walking-floor lorries. The walking floor unloads the product wherever you tell us, simply and cleanly, without tipping and without spilling. You store it under cover and use it with a shovel or by hand.
We only deliver bulk in Galicia. For farms elsewhere we would need to look at options.
Wood shavings for cattle in bales, for farms that want stock
We also sell heat-sealed bales of around 15 kg, on pallets of 21 or 24, to farmers who prefer to always have stock in store and decide how much to use at any time. It is convenient if you only use shavings for calving or hutches and do not want to set up bulk storage.
What we do not do is give you a fixed number of bales for the whole farm. Every farm uses the product differently, some only in the calving pen, others for all the bedding, and the buildings are not as divided up as in an equestrian centre or a rabbit farm. If you give us the dimensions of the areas you want to bed, we will work it out. You will find details on formats and transport in the article on wood shavings by the pallet.
Natural wood, because calves lick everything
Calves constantly taste the floor of the hutch and adult cows also nibble the bedding. Our sawdust and shavings are selected natural wood, with no glues, varnishes or treatments. If a calf swallows some bedding, it swallows plant fibre. We explain it in the article on what happens if an animal eats wood shavings.
Used bedding goes into the manure without any problem and can be composted or spread on the land.
Frequently asked questions about wood shavings for cattle
The most common choice is sawdust or mixed shavings in the beds and white shavings in the calving pen. But it depends on how you work. We will advise you.
Yes. Tell us whether you want more sawdust or more shavings and we will prepare the product.
Not at the moment. Outside Galicia we deliver bales by the pallet or as a full load.
It depends on where you use them and how you manage the bedding. If you give us the measurements of the areas, we will work it out.
Let’s talk about your farm
Tell us how many cows you have, how they are housed and what you want the product for: beds, calving, hutches or all of them. We will tell you what suits you and give you a price for bulk or bales.
