Pen surface maintenance is probably the most important but most frequently overlooked aspect of feedlot management. Proper maintenance of the pen surface ensures good pen drainage, decreases odors, and leads to better manure nutrient management. When pens are scraped infrequently, manure accumulates and causes poor drainage, which leads to wallow development and increased odors. The animal density in the pens is directly correlated to the frequency of scraping needed to properly manage the pen surface.

If animal density is maximized, particularly in beef finishing pens, current practices have shown best results when pen surfaces are scraped on or near a 10-day interval. When animal density in pens is low, pen scraping frequency is dictated more by weather and manure accumulation.

If it is not practical to scrape every 10 days, the operator should consider a higher frequency of scraping under these conditions:
1) when wet lot conditions are anticipated (e.g., in spring), and the potential for odor can be reduced by minimizing manure accumulation.
2) when dry lot conditions are anticipated (e.g., mid- to late summer), and the potential for dust emissions is high.
3) immediately behind the feed bunk and around waters where manure accumulation is highest.
4) when manure nitrogen utilization is valued, and nitrogen conservation is practiced. Scraping manure on beef open lots after each turn of cattle will result in 50% or more of the manure nitrogen being lost.

Author: Ron Wiederholt, North Dakota State University