Effects of two stall flooring systems on the behaviour of tied dairy cows

Abstract

Effects on dairy cow behaviour of a new type of flooring in tie-stalls, with the ability to drain faeces and urine, was studied in a controlled randomised trial in one Swedish university herd. Forty-two Swedish Red and White cows were kept tied in traditional long-stalls (2.20 m). In 21 stalls (one stall row), the rearmost 0.74 m of the solid stall floor had been replaced with nine rubber-coated 53 mm wide slats, divided by 29 mm slots. Stalls with rubber slats were equipped with 20 mm ethyl-vinyl-acetate (EVA) mats in the front part and littered with 0.7 kg of wood shavings daily, while stalls with a solid floor had standard rubber mats and received 3 kg of chopped straw daily as bedding. Behaviour was compared between the two stall types, using video recordings of 12 matched pairs of cows for two complete 24 h periods each. Statistical analysis was done using the Student’s t-test for matched pairs or the sign test. Cows on the rubber slatted flooring lie down and rise normally and without any increased risk of slipping. They lay down more comfortably, i.e. spent on an average 23% less time preparing to lie down, and slipped less frequently during rising. There was some evidence of a preference for a solid floor when lying.