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Sawdust

Started by 4x4American, April 23, 2016, 09:50:03 AM

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4x4American

My neighbor milks a little over 60 head of jerseys and holsteins, he uses sawdust for bedding.  Right now he buys it from a guy a few hours north.  He's interested in mine.  I did mention that it's prolly too fine and can get in their teats and being wet can cause mastitis, but then he came back and said it might be something where he could mix it into his current sawdust to make it go a little further plus he gives his cows the 9 in 1 shot which should help protect against mastitis.


He mainly uses pine sawdust now, and I don't think it's KD.  My question is: can he use hardwood sawdust as an additive?  I'm planning to mainly be sawing hardwood, even though I have a load of pine sawdust for him now (with a little locust mixed in).  Is there any sawdusts to keep out of the mix ie cherry?  Will that locust hurt anything?


I am thinking to trade him sawdust for bushog work..
Thanks
Boy, back in my day..

Chuck White

I really don't see why he couldn't us most any type of sawdust, he just needs to keep in mind what you had said about the "fine" sawdust and infection.

My suggestion for him would be to use circlesaw sawdust for bedding and use the fine stuff to spread on the platform in the dairy barn!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

paul case

Walnut is a NO NO.

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

wesdor

When I was growing up we milked cows and went to a nearby lumber yard to get their sawdust.  As I recall it was much coarser than what comes off my mill so I think you may have good concerns. 
I agree with Paul Case - Walnut is a problem.  A friend of mine has dairy goats and there is something in Cherry bark that is poisonous to them (not sure if it does the same to cows).



Peter Drouin

Hardwood will burn the feet, softwood is ok. ;D
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

cuznguido

Cherry and walnut are definite no-no.  Red oak is not good but will not harm them is diluted pretty well with the lighter woods. 

Dave Shepard

No hardwoods for lactating cows. Not sure about the particle size. I've heard it's an inhalation issue, but if it's fresh and damp it might not be a problem.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

1ruralmailman

  walnut,and oak will both cause skin issues after a while of being exposed to it.cherry i think would be fine,but i know that the dried leaves of cherry are poisonous,and will kill a adult cow.we used to use bandsawn sawdust,but only from a softwood mill for our cows,only thing is it is a little harder to spread due to the fine grit it is.the coarser was alot easier to flip under them off a silage fork.

Dave Shepard

Strangely, cows can eat green cherry leaves, but not dry. I think it's cyanide that forms when the leaf dries.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDD51-WR Wireless, Kubota L48, Honda Rincon 650, TJ208 G-S, and a 60"LogRite!

4x4American

Interesting...


Thanks for all the responses
Boy, back in my day..

Cazzhrdwd

Works great for my cows. Its the best bedding I've ever used. Walnut is not a problem and Oak is what I use most.
96 Woodmizer LT40Super  Woodmizer 5 head moulder

ncsawyer

Quote from: Dave Shepard on April 23, 2016, 08:43:08 PM
Strangely, cows can eat green cherry leaves, but not dry. I think it's cyanide that forms when the leaf dries.

They can eat dried or green leaves with no problems.  Prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide) poisoning occurs when ingesting leaves in a wilted state. Because cyanide is a gas, it gradually dissipates as the plant tissue dries.  This is why dried leaves are OK...but I still don't want my livestock eating cherry leaves.  The same is true for sorghum forages.  DO NOT let cows graze sorghum shortly after it has been frosted on for the same reason. 

4X4, has your friend got a free stall barn or a compost pack barn?

Our neighbor has a compost pack barn and was using kiln dried shavings with very good results.  His pack in the barn was reaching 90+ degrees.  He started blending some brooder litter in with the shavings (said you couldn't tell the difference just looking at it).  So it must have been very clean. After that he had some pretty bad sub-clinical mastitis issues.  Only way he new was the SCC count in the tank was sky rocketing. 

Checked his pack temp in the barn, much cooler than before.  Wasn't getting hot enough to kill the bacteria in the barn.  I think your concerns with your sawdust are very legitimate.
2015 Wood-Mizer LT40DD35
Woodmaster 718 planer
Ford 445 Skip Loader

Magicman

I had a customer that piled Pine sawdust, bark, whatever else was left after I sawed for him.  A week or so later he called me in a panic.  The pile had ignited (spontaneous combustion) and had also burned his nearby stickered lumber.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

paul case

Ouch!
That would be an expensive mistake.

PC
life is too short to be too serious. (some idiot)
2013 LT40SHE25 and Riehl edger,  WM 94 LT40 hd E15. Cut my sawing ''teeth'' on an EZ Boardwalk
sawing oak.hickory,ERC,walnut and almost anything else that shows up.
Don't get phylosophical with me. you will loose me for sure.
pc

Ianab

Walnut is a definite no-no for horses. The juglone in it leaches out when they pee on it, and affects their hooves, causing Laminitus, which is a detachment of their hooves. A horse without hooves is a goner.  Cows don't seem to be affected in the same way.

QuoteWhen I was growing up we milked cows and went to a nearby lumber yard to get their sawdust.  As I recall it was much coarser than what comes off my mill so I think you may have good concerns. 

Probably a Circle mill. They make much bigger "sawdust", more like chips from a nice sharp chainsaw. It does make better animal bedding than the finer band saw dust.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

4x4American

NC he has a tie stall barn with a pipeline.
Boy, back in my day..

Sixacresand

Quote from: Magicman on April 23, 2016, 10:26:45 PM
I had a customer that piled Pine sawdust, bark, whatever else was left after I sawed for him.  A week or so later he called me in a panic.  The pile had ignited (spontaneous combustion) and had also burned his nearby stickered lumber.
The older than me generation did not use the word "composting".  Everything was put in a pile and allowed to "go through a heat" before putting in the garden.  I have never seen one ignite itself, but I know it possible. 
"Sometimes you can make more hay with less equipment if you just use your head."  Tom, Forestry Forum.  Tenth year with a LT40 Woodmizer,

petefrom bearswamp

My sawdust pile sits idle for a month or so and has bark mixed in, no combustion problems as yet,.
I spoil it in the edge of my mill area in a brushy place and it has been ther for 10 yrs and more now no probs.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

thecfarm

I kinda thought it had to be a big pile of sawdust to do that. Not just one even 4 feet high.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

YoungStump

 A neighboring farmer uses some of the sawdust from my mill for his cows and he actually prefers it over the coarser sawdust from the circular mills, he says the cows like it because it's softer.
We sell hardwood sawdust to horse and dairy farmers everyday and I've never heard of anyone having issues with it except that we really need to watch if we cut walnut that it doesn't go to anyone with horses.
Echo Enterprises 45HD2 production series band mill, Cook's Edger, sawing mostly pallet cants, rr ties, and grade lumber.

Magicman

I doubt that the pile that I referred to was even 2 feet high.  I think that the major contributing factor in this instance was that it was not all sawdust.  It was the mixture.  I have not heard of such before or since.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Carson-saws

I also sell my sawdust.  Primarily to farmers but have a regular that uses it for Hamster bedding and in bird cages.  I GIVE sawdust to a Mother that has a child that can not play in sand for whatever reason.  So she uses it as a sandbox material for her children.
Let the Forest be salvation long before it needs to be

Chuck White

Seems I read somewhere that there is a state or two in the North East where it's illegal to have a sawdust pile higher than 3 feet!

Around here, I see sawdust piles at Amish mills that are 25-30 feet high!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

WV Sawmiller

Peter Drouin,

   You said hardwood sawdust will burn the animal's feet. Any idea why? Is it a chemical reaction in the wood or just the normal "heat" from oxidation as the sawdust rots?
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

Hackermatack

I think you guys are making much to do about nothing. Yes walnut is bad especially for horses. Green sawdust especially hardwood will have coliform bacteria but storing it for a wile in a large pile will generate heat enough to kill most of it and it most likely won't burst into flames. After a cow is milked a plug forms in the teat end that helps keep objects and bacteria out and good dairymen dip the teat end in a disinfectant solution before and after milking. Many dairymen bed freestalls with sand which is at least as fine as sawdust. Oh and by the way I have milked quite a few cows in my day, ain't ever milking another one though  :laugh:
Jonsered 2230, 590, 70E. Kioti DK 35 /w fransguard winch. Hudson Oscar 236

Peter Drouin

Chemical in the wood. Get hardwood sawdust in your eye and it will burn badly, Solfwood will but not much.
Farmers in NH just don't use hardwood sawdust.
A&P saw Mill LLC.
45' of Wood Mizer, cutting since 1987.
License NH softwood grader.

Magicman

Maybe it's the tannic acid in the hardwoods?
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

plowboyswr

Quote from: Magicman on April 25, 2016, 07:14:11 PM
Maybe it's the tannic acid in the hardwoods?
Bingo, if you ever have sawn sappy black walnut on a hot summer day and not been able to wash the saw dust and sweat off it can leave a nasty burn on exposed skin. Now that being said we have used walnut saw dust as bedding for our Dairy calves with no ill effects. Granted it was from a cabinet shop so it was dry but considerably finer than even a band mill produces. We never used it on the milking herd as we were a grazing Dairy and had no free stall barn. Hogs on the other hand would eat it when I first dumped it out then ignore it after that. ::)
Just an ole farm boy takin one day at a time.
Steve

Hackermatack

I have noticed chickens eat a lot of sawdust when I first dump it in, but then they really are not to bright. They are still laying well.
Jonsered 2230, 590, 70E. Kioti DK 35 /w fransguard winch. Hudson Oscar 236

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