Alternative bedding options

For this week’s OviCast we talk to independent sheep and beef consultant, Dr Liz Genever, about an on-farm project she was involved in examining various bedding options. Liz gives us a background to the project, what bedding options they compared, how they set it up and what they examined. We discuss the levels of usage of the various bedding sources, labour input, ewe cleanliness and ultimately costs involved. We move on to discuss the suitability of each, a hybrid bedding model incorporating different bedding options and how the farm where the project was conducted changed practices. Finally, Liz highlights the ways to stretch supplies with key areas to focus on. For more episodes from the OviCast podcast, visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/sheep/ovicast-sheep-podcast