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Stall Comfort
- Stalls should be designed to provide 12 h/d lying time for each and every cow
- Deep loose bedding is ideal; especially sand
- Stalls should be sized to accommodate the size of the cows using them
Time Milking
- Cows must have sufficient time in the pen to access a place of rest
- Time spent milking is time when cows are forced to stand on a hard surface
- It is very challenging for a cow to rest for 12 h/d or more if she spends more than 3h/d out of the pen
- Target is to get the last cow back to the pen within 1h of the group leaving the pen
- Lame cows should not be milked more than 2 times per day!
Heat Abatement
- Lameness risk increases in the late summer ~ 2 months after the peak in heat stress
- Heat stressed cows stand more and lie down less putting them at increased risk for sole ulcer
- Heat abatement should focus on:
- Fast 400 ft/min (2m/s) air in the resting space
- Minimum 50 air changes per hour in the building
- Strategic use of water to directly soak and cool the cow or to mist and cool the air before it reaches the cow
Stocking Density
- As the number of cows exceeds the number of stalls dominant cows will displace subordinate cows from the resting space
- To optimize lying time there should be no more than 1 cow per stall
Lock Up Time
- Cows are often locked in headlocks for examination and breeding
- Lock up time should be timed to coincide with fresh feed delivery
- Total lock up time should be limited to less than 2 hours from the time that the first cow is locked
