The Sawdust Bin

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    Cleaning of the stalls requires some form of material to keep the manure from sticking to the mats and also that material should aid in the removal of urine.  Originally straw was used for this purpose and later sawdust.  Sawdust is a very good and inexpensive material to use for animal bedding.  It is nothing more than what is left over from coarse sawed wood at the lumber mill.  Sawdust in itself works best when it is dry.  When trees are cut, many of them still have the juices in them.  This is called sap.  The wood is called green until it has time to season or dry.  Green sawdust is wet.  When it is stacked, it generates heat.  If it is stacked over four feet high without proper ventilation, it will get hot enough for the dry sawdust to catch fire.  For this reason only one days supply of sawdust is kept in the barn.  A separate building was built for the sawdust.

    The sawdust bin was built in August of 2008.  It is a frame building with a steel shell.  It is open on one side and has vents at the top to allow for proper air flow.  The base is made of concrete.  The first two feet of the walls are block.  Moisture is drawn from the sawdust to the concrete.  The temperature during the drying process is greatly reduced.  The sawdust bin is located 75 feet from the rear of the barn.