Bedding, in ethology and animal husbandry, is material, usually organic, used by animals to support their bodies when resting or otherwise stationary. It reduces pressure on skin, heat loss, and contamination by waste produced by an animal or those it shares living space with. [1]
Wood shavings (pine, cedar, and aspen) are absorbent and have good odor control. [2] Different textures such as fine cut, soft shreds, or thick cut are used for different animals. Wood shavings can be dusty and contain aromatic oils that can cause respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, or skin disorders and other health problems in some animals. [3] Aspen and kiln-dried wood shavings tend to be less dusty, plus the oils are removed.
Hemp bedding is extremely absorbent and thus efficient, has good odor control and minimal dust, and provides more insulation than other bedding materials. Additionally, hemp is naturally pest-repellent and horses are not tempted to eat it. Due to its low dust, hemp bedding is recommended for horses with allergy or respiratory issues. [4] From an environmental consideration, hemp is more sustainable than wood as it requires both less time and human intervention to grow repeatedly. [5]
Corncob bedding contains no aromatic oils or dust. Corncobs are heat dried which makes it very absorbent. [2] When water or urine is absorbed, the corncob will start molding so daily cleaning is needed. If not properly maintained, bacterial infections are likely to occur. Corncobs are cut to little pieces making it easy to ingest. This could be dangerous if ingested by a small animal.
Paper bedding includes either recycled paper or cardboard boxes. Paper bedding is ideal for animals with allergies since it contains no oils and little dust. [6] Unlike corncob bedding, paper bedding has no adverse effects with consumption. [7] Paper is very absorbent, but when saturated with water or urine, a strong odor results. [6]
Straw is a soft, dry stalk containing small grains such as barley, oats, rice, rye, and wheat. Straw is easy to handle and available in most agricultural areas. When deciding to use a straw, is imperative to make sure that the straw is not palatable. To do this, the seed must be checked to ensure it is not available for consumption. [7] Straw has excellent absorbency and is unlikely to mold. [2] [7]
Hay is composed of grasses that have been cut and then dried. Although hay is most commonly used for food, it also can be used for the purpose of animal bedding. This may result in an insufficient diet for the animal if it begins eating its bedding. In addition, old hay may give off the dust that could result in respiratory problems. A disadvantage of using hay is that it is one of the more expensive beddings. It is quite absorbent but once it is soiled, it begins to decompose quickly producing an unpleasant odor. [2] Because of the moisture, hay will mold quickly and could result in a bacterial infection. [7]
Wood chips are a mixture of bark, sawdust, and post peelings. Agriculturalists use wood chips as cost-efficient bedding. While its cost may be desirable, woodchips provide minimal comfort and absorbency. Wood chips generate mold and mildew, because of their highly damp environment. This causes bacterial growth and potential infection if not changed often. Wood chips are also known to stain the coat of animals from bedding in moist chips. [7]
Sawdust must be kiln-dried to ensure cleanliness and absorbability. [2] Sawdust ensures quick and easy cleaning, because of the soiled or wet material begins to clump together. Although the cleanup is easier, sawdust is known to create a lot of health problems such as respiratory, urinary tract, mastitis, and skin disorders. [7]
Sand is ideal when looking at microbial growth. [3] Sand is the most comfortable bedding because of its natural ability to form to the animal's curvature. However, large sand particles can cause abrasions and bruise on an animal. [7] Another downfall is sand is not very absorbent and causes a difficult clean up of soiled materials. [2] [7]
Waterbeds are used as an alternative to dried manure, sawdust, shells, or sand as bedding for dairy cattle, which produce less milk when they stand too long. [8]
Many animals benefit from bedding, including livestock, poultry, rodents and reptiles. Bedding, in the simplest context, provides comfort for these animals. When constructed properly, these cushioned structures decrease irritability and rough textures that can cause pain, pressure, and stress on the subject. This also prevents bruising and sores to preserve the physical beauty of the animal.
Bedding also creates an environment of moisture retention. Although incapable to prevent all microbial activity, bedding absorbs a substantial amount of moisture within the animal’s living environment. Soaking up excess urine, bedding assists in keeping the cage dry until the next change. A drier cage also promotes ventilation which decreases harmful levels of environmental pathogens.
These factors are few of many. With insulation against cold weather and drafts amongst the list, odor control sustains a position as well. Assistance in decreasing and filtering dust to protect against respiratory infections ranks high. Creating an environment conducive for thermoregulation and chemical resistance, along with simple privacy, bedding is ideal for many animal types. All these factors relay a decrease in stress and pain, encouraging peaceful resting opportunities that in turn increase the overall life, productivity, and well-being of the animal.
Bedding maintenance is an important part of both human and animal health, cleanliness, and well being. [3] Storage of bedding is important to insure that the bedding does not ruin. The best place to store it is in an environment that is dry and above ground level. Frequent bedding change is important to decrease the amount of bacteria. [3] The most bacterial contaminated area is the front of the stall. [3] This area should receive the most attention when cleaning and changing the bedding. Bedding should not be throughout the stall, it should be clear of the feeding and watering trough. It is recommended that the bedding is more frequently changed when there are a great number of animals, since the bedding will become contaminated faster.
It is important to note that weather, frequent bedding maintenance, barn design, ventilation, and stall management influence bacteria levels. [3] When one or several of these things change or are not met the susceptibility of illness significantly increases. [3] These illnesses are potentially deadly to these animals and that is why the maintenance of bedding is so important. [3]
The dried foliage of the poisonous medicinal plant Physochlaina praealta (see page Physochlaina) - a member of the Potato family - is used as a type of cattle bedding having antiseptic (and possibly also insecticidal) properties in the Baltistan region of northern Pakistan. [9] A recent paper on investigations into the biological activities of the plant goes some way to support confidence in its possession of a chemistry adequate to explain such folk use, [10] and could point to a potential for wider use outside its native range. The plant is an endangered species in the wild, but could be cultivated in mountainous regions with a cold, dry climate. It is a yellow-flowered, herbaceous perennial having some ornamental value [11] in addition to its medicinal value. It contains (among other compounds) toxic tropane alkaloids valuable in the practice of human (as well as veterinary) medicine. [10]
Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Pigs can eat hay, but do not digest it as efficiently as herbivores do.
Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number of different uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and basket making.
A diaper or a nappy is a type of underwear that allows the wearer to urinate or defecate without using a toilet, by absorbing or containing waste products to prevent soiling of outer clothing or the external environment. When diapers become wet or soiled, they require changing, generally by a second person such as a parent or caregiver. Failure to change a diaper on a sufficiently regular basis can result in skin problems around the area covered by the diaper.
A litter box, also known as a sandbox, cat box, litter tray, cat pan, potty, pot or litter pan, is an indoor feces and urine collection box for cats, as well as rabbits, ferrets, miniature pigs, small dogs, and other pets that instinctively or through training will make use of such a repository. They are provided for pets that are permitted free roam of a home but who cannot or do not always go outside to excrete their metabolic waste.
Sawdust is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling and routing. It is composed of very small chips of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machinery, portable power tools or by use of hand tools. In some manufacturing industries it can be a significant fire hazard and source of occupational dust exposure.
A corncob also called corn cob or cob of corn, is the hard core of an ear of maize, bearing the kernels, made up of the chaff, woody ring, and pith. Corncobs contain mainly cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin.
An animal stall is an enclosure housing one or a few animals. Stalls for animals can often be found wherever animals are kept: a horse stable is often a purpose-built and permanent structure. A farmer's barn may be subdivided into animal stalls or pens for cows and other livestock.
Corn construction refers to the use of corn (maize) in construction. The tassel, leaf, silk, cob in husks, and the stalk are the parts of corn. According to the Michigan Department of Agriculture, "corn can be made into fuel, abrasives, solvents, charcoal, animal feed, bedding for animals, insulation, adhesives, and more. The kernel is used as oil, bran, starch, glutamates, animal feed, and solvents. The silk is combined with other parts of the corn plant to be used as part of animal feed, silage, and fuels. Husks are made into dolls and used as filling materials. The stalk is used to make paper, wallboard, silage, syrup, and rayon ."
In agriculture, poultry litter or broiler litter is a mixture of poultry excreta, spilled feed, feathers, and material used as bedding in poultry operations. This term is also used to refer to unused bedding materials. Poultry litter is used in confinement buildings used for raising broilers, turkeys and other birds. Common bedding materials include wood shavings, sawdust, peanut hulls, shredded sugar cane, straw, and other dry, absorbent, low-cost organic materials. Sand is also occasionally used as bedding. The bedding materials help absorb moisture, limiting the production of ammonia and harmful pathogens. The materials used for bedding can also have a significant impact on carcass quality and bird performance.
Recurrent airway obstruction, also known as broken wind, heaves, wind-broke horse, or sometimes by the term usually reserved for humans, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or disorder (COPD) – it is a respiratory disease or chronic condition of horses involving an allergic bronchitis characterised by wheezing, coughing and laboured breathing.
Swarf, also known as chips or by other process-specific names, are pieces of metal, wood, or plastic that are the debris or waste resulting from machining, woodworking, or similar subtractive (material-removing) manufacturing processes. Swarf can be small particles ; long, stringy tendrils ; slag-like waste ; or stone fragments and dust.
Brown waste is any biodegradable waste that is predominantly carbon based. The term includes such items as grass cuttings, dry leaves, twigs, hay, paper, sawdust, corn cobs, used livestock bedding, manure, animal waste, cardboard, pine needles or cones, etc. Carbon is necessary for composting, which uses a combination of green waste and brown waste to promote the microbial processes involved in the decomposition process. The composting of brown waste sustainably returns the carbon to the carbon cycle.
Hay steaming is a method of treating hay to reduce the airborne respirable dust which naturally occurs in hay, causing respiratory problems in both humans and horses when in close contact. The method encompasses a steam generator which produces the steam and a connecting hose to direct the steam into a closed, sealed vessel containing the hay, exposing it to the steam.
Dust bathing is an animal behavior characterized by rolling or moving around in dust, dry earth or sand, with the likely purpose of removing parasites from fur, feathers or skin. Dust bathing is a maintenance behavior performed by a wide range of mammalian and avian species. For some animals, dust baths are necessary to maintain healthy feathers, skin, or fur, similar to bathing in water or wallowing in mud. In some mammals, dust bathing may be a way of transmitting chemical signals to the ground which marks an individual's territory.
Alternative natural materials are natural materials like rock or adobe that are not as commonly used as materials such as wood or iron. Alternative natural materials have many practical uses in areas such as sustainable architecture and engineering. The main purpose of using such materials is to minimize the negative effects that built environments can have on the planet, while increasing the efficiency and adaptability of the structures.
Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are utilised by bacteria, fungi and other organisms in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.
Matthias Koops was a British paper-maker who invented the first practical processes for manufacturing paper from wood pulp, straw, or recycled waste paper, without the necessity of including expensive linen or cotton rags.
A hamster cage is an enclosure designed to house one hamster. It is recommended that hamster cages are at least 5000cm² for dwarf hamster except Roborovski and 6000cm² for syrian and Roborovski, although there is evidence that hamsters experience less stress if housed in larger cages. Commercially available pens are made of wire or plastic - both of which are unsafe for hamsters. Some pet owners house their hamsters in aquarium tanks, and some make their own pens out of wood or safe materials like plexi. Laboratory hamsters, commonly known as laboratory Syrian hamsters, are housed in pens designed for scientific use. There are also special pens designed for hamster shows.
A compost bedded pack barn (CBP) is a type of housing for dairy cattle. It is a loose housing system, similar to free-stall housing, except there are no stalls or partitions.
Any type of woodworking that involves cutting, either by hand or machine, releases sawdust. Because fine sawdust can float through the air, it can be easily inhaled without proper protection, leading to damaging injuries to a woodworker's skin and lungs. Sawdust is also an IARC group 1 Carcinogen.
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