Let’s take a look at how 48-year-old Wu Jianguo makes a fermentation bed to raise cattle

Fermentation Bed Cattle Raising Technology
Speaking of raising cattle, there is a problem that gives farmers a headache, that is, cows produce a lot of feces and need to be cleaned several times a day. Moreover, the odor in the cattle pen is difficult to remove, which causes pollution. Not to mention the environment, the cattle are uncomfortable to live in, but this problem does not exist on a cattle farm in Mingguang City, Anhui Province.
Year-old Wu Jianguo invested and established a cattle farm in Mingguang City, Anhui Province last year. For more than half a year, the cow excrement has not been cleaned once, but the entire cowshed is very clean and there is no smell. Why is the cow dung No need to clean up and no smell in the barn? The secret lies in the thin straw under the feet of the cow, which has a scientific name of fermentation bed. The straws used as fermentation bed materials are not ordinary straws. There are channels inside. When making the fermentation bed, microbial Yijiayi fermentation bed strains are added to the straw. Through the fermentation of microorganisms, the cow feces It is decomposed, so there is no smell in the cowshed. In addition to not smelling the smell, there is another benefit. This is really different from ordinary cowsheds, which are generally Although the cement floor is convenient for cleaning excrement, it is not very comfortable for cows to live on it. Especially in winter, the ground is cold and hard. It is uncomfortable to stand and lie down. Looking at the cows raised by Wu Jianguo, it is called Comfortable, the thick straw on the fermentation bed should be as comfortable as possible whether you are lying or standing, because the litter and manure will generate heat during the fermentation process, so the fermentation bed feels warm to the touch, and the cows sleep on it. It's like sleeping on a heated kang, it's very comfortable.
Look at this winter, although it is quite cold outside, the cows in the cowshed do not feel much chill. The fermentation bed is not the kind where feces is everywhere, sewage flows across the ground, mosquitoes and flies blow in the face, and the stench fills the sky. Now it looks like the cowshed is clean, and the cows seem to be sleeping on Simmons. Firstly, the animal welfare of the cow has been greatly improved, and its biological characteristics have been maximized.
With the fermentation bed, the cowshed has become clean and hygienic, and the cattle are comfortable to live in. However, the fermentation bed for cattle is not as simple as casually saying. Now, pigs are raised on fermentation beds. A lot. Everyone has understood this before, and the technology is relatively mature. However, after all, very few people use fermentation beds to raise cattle. Is it possible? When Wu Jianguo started to use fermentation beds to raise cattle, many colleagues did not believe it. Problem one: because of the heavy weight of the cattle, they sank on the bed. Second, cows excrete so much feces in a day. Will the fermentation bed be able to withstand it? Many farmers are baffled. At first, everyone thought it was a waste of money and did not dare to use it. Although colleagues were very familiar with Lao Wu’s use of fermentation beds to raise cattle. The idea is not supported, but Lao Wu doesn’t want to give up because he has seen pigs raised in fermentation beds and has inspected them many times. When it comes to using fermentation beds for breeding, it is a good method. The fermentation beds for pigs have achieved good results. The results, and it is said to have been recognized, are quite successful in raising pigs in fermentation beds, but raising cattle and raising pigs are two different things. Firstly, cows weigh more than pigs, and secondly, cows produce more feces than pigs, so fermentation must be copied. The method of raising pigs in beds is definitely not feasible, but how can it be improved?
Later he found animal husbandry experts, and his idea was affirmed and supported by the experts, and the experts also expressed their willingness to work with him on research experiments. In the past, we had successful experience in raising pigs in fermentation beds. On this basis , considering that our local area has a relatively large amount of cattle breeding, and the second area is very rich in straw, I want to do something in this aspect. Crop straw is one of the main components of fermented mattress materials. Generally speaking, The fermentation bed for pigs is made by crushing straw and mixing it with rice husks and sawdust to make a bed 60 to 70 centimeters thick. In this way, the fermentation bed is relatively soft. The weight of an adult pig is about kilograms, and it is very difficult to lie on it. It is comfortable and no problem, but if you put a cow weighing four to five hundred kilograms, such a fermentation bed will be difficult to bear. Not only will the bed collapse, but the bedding will also be compacted to form a hardening. In this way, the inside The microorganisms will not be able to fully ferment, and the feces will not be fully decomposed. To solve the problem of relatively large weight of cattle, expert Wu Jianguo guided Wu Jianguo to improve the fermentation bed:
Divide the litter into three layers. To solve this problem, the straw is of different lengths, and some straw is placed at the bottom. Place the whole corn stalk on top of the rice straw, and place relatively finely crushed corn stalk on top of the whole corn stalk. Rice straw, uncrushed corn stalk, and crushed corn stalk form three layers. The thickness of each layer is about 3. The overall thickness is similar to that of a pig fermentation bed, about sixty to seventy centimeters thick. Whole straw is used in the middle to prevent cattle from trampling too deeply. Broken straw that is too deep is easy to trample, and it is easy to collapse at this time and cannot bear it. The weight of the cattle, with the support of the middle layer of whole straw, greatly improves the load-bearing capacity of the fermentation bed. When the cattle step on it, it is soft and elastic, but will not collapse.
The problem of heavy cow weight has been solved, but there is another problem that farmers are worried about, that is, cows produce a lot of feces. According to statistics, the amount of feces excreted by a pig is .kg per day, but the amount of feces excreted by a cow is to Kilograms, the amount of feces excreted by cows is so large, can the fermentation bed bear it? Can feces be decomposed in time?
The amount of feces excreted by a cow in one day can match the amount of feces excreted by a pig in one day, which is enough. It is no wonder that other farmers are worried, but experts have said that although cows excrete a lot of feces, it is not the same as pig feces. In comparison, it is easily decomposed. For example, the nitrogen content in the feces excreted by cattle is relatively low. This is related to the cattle's habits and digestive system, as well as its feeding habits. Generally, the nitrogen content in the feces of omnivores is relatively low. The amount is relatively high, and the nitrogen content of herbivorous animals is lower. Nitrogen is the main source of fecal odor, and the function of the fermentation bed is to degrade the nitrogen in animal feces through the microorganisms in the litter. Although cows defecate a lot , but the nitrogen content in manure is low and it is relatively easy to decompose, so farmers do not have to worry too much about it being difficult to decompose. However, in order to fully decompose a large amount of cow manure, we must also control the breeding density of cattle. Our main consideration is When raising cattle in a fermentation bed, one is the number of cattle raised per unit area. The density should not be too high. If the density is too high, the amount of manure and urine will be too large. When the draft of the fermentation bed reaches the saturation level, it will cause damage to the fermentation bed. Influence, the fermentation effect will be bad. In fact, the reason here is very simple. We know that cow manure is the nourishment for microorganisms in the litter. If there is too much manure, there will be excess nutrition. Microorganisms cannot digest it and naturally cannot fully decompose it. In this way, The function of the fermentation bed cannot be achieved, and if there is less feces, the microorganisms will have insufficient energy due to insufficient nutrients, and they will not be able to ferment and decompose well.
So how can we control the amount of animal feces? It’s really difficult to control the number of animals and the number of animals. The only way is to control the breeding density of cattle. The density of cattle breeding in fermentation beds has certain requirements. The main consideration is the overall amount of feces. When the cattle are relatively small, For example, for a calf weighing less than one to two hundred kilograms, the density is equivalent to the area occupied by each cow to about . , so that when the adult cow is basically mature, each cow is a cow of more than kilograms, so the area of each cow is 100 square meters. If the size is larger, then the corresponding square meters will be, that is to say, In order to allow the feces to be decomposed in time, when farmers use fermentation beds to raise cattle, the stocking density should be appropriately adjusted according to the different growth stages of the cattle and the individual size of the cattle. For example, when raising pigs on fermentation beds, the stocking density of pigs, Generally, a pig occupies an area of 1.0 square meters. When raising cattle on a fermentation bed, the area occupied by each cow should be controlled to about 100 square meters. Pigs are relatively small and the amount of feces is relatively small, so the breeding density of pigs is higher. For cattle, they are relatively large and excrete a lot of feces, so the breeding area is larger.
Cows have a lot of excrement. To fully decompose it, the feeding density must be controlled. In addition, the layered design of the litter is also very beneficial to the full decomposition of the litter. The upper layer is finely chopped straw, which is easier to ferment and easier to mix with the excrement. The mixing of feces and urine is conducive to the fermentation of beneficial bacteria, and most of the feces is processed. Then the feces and urine that penetrate relatively are absorbed by the whole straw layer. Even without the fermentation effect of probiotics, it also plays a role in degradation. effect.
If there is no such stratification, like pig raising, crushed straw or sawdust is used, then its draft will be poor, and it will be easy to rot, mildew, and liquid accumulation, causing fermentation failure and rot. The final effect is a very deep layer with hardening and fluid accumulation, which will have an adverse effect on the cow's body.
It seems that as long as you use appropriate bedding and ensure a reasonable stocking density, it is not a difficult problem to have a lot of feces on the fermentation bed. However, if you want the microorganisms in the fermentation bed to have good fermentation effects, the use of the fermentation bed It takes a long time, and the bedding must be turned frequently. If you raise pigs, pigs have a natural instinct to arch. Arching around helps a lot in decomposing feces, but cows cannot arch, what should I do?
We have a saying that a greedy cat has a sharp nose, a hungry dog smells the sky, a cow eats food that is fragrant, and a pig hides in the soil. The habit of pigs is that they like to dig and turn, which is conducive to turning the fermentation bed. But it is not possible for cattle. Whether it is pigs or cows, feces are discharged on the surface of the fermentation bed, and the most active place for microbial reproduction is inside the fermentation bed. Only when the feces reaches the bottom of the fermentation bed can the feces be decomposed in a timely manner. Pigs' Arching plays a role in turning materials to a certain extent, but for cattle, there is no such advantage, so you have to find a way artificially.
Wu Jianguo’s idea was to increase the amount of activity for the cattle. He separated the places where the cattle eat and drink water. After the cattle finish eating the feed, if they want to drink water, they have to walk a few more steps to the opposite side. When the cattle are full, Just go to drink water, and after drinking the water, you will come to eat. In this regard, it invisibly balances the entire cow bed. Why can the cow move back and forth to balance the cow bed? Lao Wu explained that if the cows are allowed to stay in one place, the fermentation bed will be soft in one place and strong in another, and the bed will be uneven. By letting the cows move around like this, the uneven problem on the fermentation bed will be solved, and As the cowboy walks, his hooves pick up that padding, so to a certain extent, it's also a turning.
In addition to this, Lao Wu's use of this method also played another role unintentionally. Drinking water and eating food back and forth can make the feces and urine excreted by the cattle evenly spread on the fermentation bed, which is beneficial to Its feces and urine decompose, and the steak will defecate at irregular spots. It can be pooped wherever it goes. Originally, spreading the defecation in this way is good for the decomposition of the fermentation bed. However, cows are very lazy. They usually either stand or lie down, and they are lazy when walking around, so they defecate. It's very uneven. Like Lao Wu's cows, the food is on one side and the water is on the other side. When the cows are forced to move back and forth, the feces are discharged relatively evenly. The feces is evenly distributed and decomposed more fully. .
Of course, in order for the manure to be fully decomposed, it is not enough to rely on the cow's own activities. People must also help and perform manual control, and manual control also requires several steps.
The first step is to disperse feces in a timely manner, which means to spread out overly concentrated feces so that they are more evenly distributed, and to bury the feces under the bedding while loosening the feces to facilitate faster decomposition. Although pigs can move and turn over litter, this role is limited after all. Manual management and care such as manure removal is still indispensable, especially when raising cattle. Manure removal must be carried out at least once every two days.
The second step is to turn the litter in a timely manner. The purpose of turning is to mix the feces and the litter evenly, so that the fermentation is more complete and the feces is decomposed more thoroughly. Usually, small-scale turning can be combined with manure loosening to make the feces evenly distributed. After a period of time, a machine can be used to deeply turn the litter over the entire area. Deep turning should be done once every one and a half to two months, so as to provide ventilation and ventilation. The function is to break up the hardened things.
Artificial management and maintenance of the fermentation bed is a delicate job. Once an oversight occurs, it may cause partial failure of the fermentation bed. At this time, the third step of artificial management and maintenance is necessary. Timely replacement of the bedding materials will determine whether the bed is successful or not. Just make a judgment. One is that the high temperature section has moved up, and the second is that the bed is smelly and smelly. This is also not managed well. The surface temperature of the fermentation bed should normally be around 10 degrees Celsius, which is close to the indoor temperature. And the place where the microorganisms are most active is the high temperature section of the fermentation bed. If the surface temperature is higher than 10 degrees Fahrenheit, Left and right, the high temperature section moves upward, which indicates that there is a problem with the bed.
If the humidity of the fermented mattress material is high, it will not work. The humidity is generally based on holding a handful tightly to form a ball and loosening it with your hands. The surface humidity is about 3. If you can hold water out, it indicates the humidity. If it is too large, it has reached the above level. Such humidity can easily form hardening, causing fermentation to fail and causing the bed to stink. If this happens, managers should clean up the failed bedding in time and then re-make it. Good new litter is replaced to ensure normal fermentation of the entire bed and the healthy growth of the cattle.
Cows live on the fermentation bed, which not only purifies the environment, but also improves the quality of life of the cattle. Therefore, the quality of the beef produced must be particularly good. At present, raising cattle on fermentation beds in China is still a new technology.