Tiestall Design

Stanchions and old tiestall facilities pose significant welfare concerns, largely related to their similarity to tethering of other farm animals such as swine. Many older barns provide uncomfortable stalls that are too small for mature Holstein cows. Some producers do not let cows out each day – a practice which is not recommended if we wish to differentiate this type of management from tether systems where the animal has no freedom at all. A daily exercise period is an essential component of management in this type of system when the weather permits outdoor access.

While some countries are phasing out tiestall housing all together, many cows in North America still live in these facilities, which can be successfully remodeled or built to improve cow comfort and well-being.

This section of The Dairyland Initiative details the improvements that can be made at a reasonable cost, relative to five key areas of tiestall design:

1. Stall surface
2. Lunge area
3. Resting space
4. Location of the waterer
5. Use of the cow trainer

Improve Stall Surface

Sparsely bedded concrete or a thin rubber mat with a small amount of organic bedding cannot be considered an acceptable stall surface for a dairy cow. Thick rubber crumb filled, air-filled, or foam filled mattresses are better alternatives, but sand is considered to be the optimal stall surface. This is because sand facilitates the rising and lying movements of lame cows, allowing them to maintain more normal patterns of stall use behavior. In addition, the deep loose sand bed facilitates longer lying bouts.

Sand can be fitted into older facilities with direct load manure systems relatively easily. Currently, we would recommend fitting a beveled 6- by 4-inch (15 by 10 cm) section of treated landscape timber to the rear edge of the stall platform attached with 8.5-inch (22 cm) stainless concrete anchors at every divider. Rubber landscape timber is also available in 6-foot (1.8 m) lengths. For very short beds, producers have custom made brackets to fit onto the back of the stall platform in order to extend the bed.

Extension bracket for a bedding retainer for a short stall platform

A 6-inch (15 cm) retainer will allow 5 inches (13 cm) of sand to accumulate over the concrete.

See the mattress to sand remodeling page for more information and a partial budget calculator to compare mattresses vs. sand.

A sand conversion using a landscape timber bedding retainer

Fresh sand should be added twice a week and the beds leveled twice a day. Some straw or other organic material can be added to the gutter to assist the flow of sand laden manure along the channel by the barn cleaner. The floor of the channel will need to be reinforced with steel plates wherever the cleaner changes direction to reduce wear of the chain into the concrete.

Improve Lunge Space

Stanchions control the position of the cow in the stall and allow for improved handling, but they have some significant welfare issues such as:

1. Trauma to the shoulder area and winged scapula
2. Failure to allow the cow to groom herself in the stall, especially high over the rib cage
3. Failure to allow the cow to rest in the ‘closed’ position with the head curled around next to the chest
4. Obstruction of the normal rising movements of the head and neck, which is particularly a problem for lame cows

With these problems, stanchions can no longer be recommended. Indeed, even tie stalls with short neck chains can be rather restrictive to the rising and lying movements of the cow, so tiestall recommendations from OMAFRA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) utilize higher head rails and longer neck chains.

The neck chain length should be no longer than the distance from the lower edge of the head rail to the top of the feed curb. This will prevent the cow’s front foot from becoming tangled up. To have a longer chain, the head rail must be located higher and further forward. For mature Holstein cows, we recommend that the head rail be 48 inches (122 cm) above the stall surface and 8 inches (20 cm) forward from the cow side edge of the feed curb. With this size rail, a 36-inch (91 cm) long neck chain can be used.

A stanchion barn conversion with a high head rail and longer chain to facilitate lunge

Existing metal can be modified for use in the remodel, or new brackets and head rails can be purchased and fitted. Be sure to fix the chain clamps onto the rail so that the tails of the clamps are horizontal; vertical clamp tails may injure the cow’s neck or back if she comes too far forward in the stall.

High head rail, long chains and a low feed curb provide for greater freedom in new tiestall facilities. Note how the cow has free access to the water bowl with no obstruction above

Improve Resting Space

Targets for modern tiestall dimensions are given in the table below taken from OMAFRA.

Space sharing loop dividers are preferred, and the key dimensions for stall length, width, and head rail location are given below. The 30 inches (76 cm) between the rear of the loop and the edge of the stall platform facilitates backing out of the stall and stepping over the gutter.

The feed curb defines the resting space for the cow in front of the stall, much like a brisket locator in a freestall. These feed curbs are often built to retain feed in the manger, but any curb in excess of 4 inches (10 cm) in height will impact the forward movement of the front leg as the cow rises, making the transition between lying and standing difficult. This problem is difficult to solve. We prefer feed curbs to be no higher than 8 inches (20 cm) on the cow side with the feed manger elevated 4 inches (10 cm). However, this curb is still an obstruction that we try to compensate for by making the stall platform a little longer than in a freestall, giving the cow more space to move her front feet. Also note that tiestall widths are generally wider than for freestalls in an attempt to accommodate the milker more easily. For tiestall housed cows that are milked in a parlor, freestall width recommendations should be adhered to.

Resting space may also be improved by the provision of a grate over the gutter.

Waterer Location

Waterers should be located so that there is clear space vertically above the trough for the head so that the cow can fully immerse her muzzle in the trough. As the cow’s head is typically 24 inches (61 cm) long, there should be no obstruction within the area 24 inches (61 cm) above the lip of the trough. Troughs (upper edge) should be mounted 18 inches (46 cm) above the stall surface, and positioned over the feed manger.

Cow Trainer Use and Location

Cow trainers are banned in some European countries, but continue to be used in North America. Clearly, if trainers are to continue to be used, they must be regularly adjusted and maintained so that cows are not shocked needlessly. In large spacious stalls with long neck chains, cow trainers appear to be essential for positioning the cow in order to keep the stalls clean.

The correct location for the trainer is 48 inches (122 cm) forward from the rear point of the curb and located 2 inches (5 cm) above the backline of the cow. After a brief period of training, the trainers may be lifted to 4 inches (10 cm) above the back. Some researchers have suggested that it may only be necessary to use the trainers for 2 days per week to keep cows trained, a compromise that has merits when the welfare of the cow is considered.

Cow trainer placement relative to the withers