Facilities & Cow Comfort

Evaluating Systems Chuck Guard

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

This is cow comfort!

But not ideal for udder health control

Philosophy

• Anticipate and include the spatial, social and climatic needs of the cow in design and layout of dairy facilities

• Build things to suit the cow not the man

• Comfort pays in milk production, health & longevity

Ideals – ABC’s

• Air – Fresh, dry, clean

• Bunk – Feed always available without obstacles or

competition

• Comfort – A desirable place to lie down and rise

without risk of injury + protection from thermal stress

Air

• Ventilation systems unless dry lot

• Passive if conditions permit

• Barns with open side walls – 4.25 m high

• Open ridge if 2 slopes to roof – 5 cm opening for each 3 m width

• Roof pitch 4 in 12

Preferred Roof Slope

4

12

18.5 degrees

Temperate Climates

• Needed are:

– Ability to control heat stress in summer

– Moderate the effects of cold in winter

– Insure adequate air exchange to control

humidity and ammonia

• Both active and passive systems can work

• Barn location can greatly favor passive

systems

In hot climates - no sides

Fans to increase airspeed Goal is 9 – 12 km/hr at cow level

Very large fans with deflectors

Outside free access if dry

Cross ventilation with cooling

pads

Supplemental Cooling

• Heat loss directly from cow via evaporation of water

• Questions are:

– When and where to wet the cows?

– How much water to use?

– How to facilitate the evaporation?

• Efficiency related to relative humidity

• Before or after milking parlor

• At feed manger

• Separate facility

• When temperature/humidity index is very

high cooling will only be by conduction to

the water

Supplemental Cooling

Temperature - Humidity Interaction

and Cow Comfort

Relative Ambient Temperature

Humidity 21 24 27 29 32 35 38 41

20 19 22 25 28 30 33 37 41

30 19 23 26 29 33 36 40 45

40 20 23 26 30 34 38 43 56

50 20 24 27 31 36 42 49 57

60 21 24 28 33 38 46 56 65

70 21 25 29 34 41 51 62

80 22 26 30 36 45 58

90 22 26 31 39 50

100 22 27 33 42

• A fine mist will be trapped on the ends of

the hairs

– An entrapped air layer will actually insulate

the cow

• The goal is to soak the cow to the skin

– Big water droplets and 2 to 3 liters per cow

– Water draining from the cow may make

environmental humidity higher

Supplemental Cooling

• Fans can greatly aid in evaporation

• In parlor holding pen:

– Water on for 30 sec

– Fans on for 5 min

– Repeat cycle

• In barn - must have fans where cows

stand or rest

Supplemental Cooling

Cooling cows

waiting to be milked

- Efficient use of

water

Manual cooling

Water sprinklers cool cows while

eating

Spray nozzle – low opening

pressure – no drips or draining

of supply line between cycles

Soaking cows with water after

milking

Shade over parlor holding pen

Shade without stalls – comfort &

hygiene???

Feed Bunk Considerations

• Enough space for >80 % of cows to eat at the same time

• Level of feed surface 8 to 15 cm above level of cow alley

• Feed bunk surface resistant to acids and easy to clean

• Barrier between cow and feed placed to be cow friendly

• Adequate space behind eating cows for 2-way cow traffic

Adequate bunk space

3-row freestall pens limit feed access compared to 2-row pens

Front feet are spread to reach the

ground – Raise the feed bunk level

Elevated bunks:

less saliva & more waste

Feed bunk surfaces:

glazed tile or polyethylene

Barrier – right height & position

Protect feed and cows from sun

and rain – less important for heifers

Measuring Stall Comfort

• Time available to use stalls

• Cow numbers v. stall numbers

• Grouping strategy

• Feeding schedule

Time management for cows

Lying in stalls 14 hours * Away from stalls to milk 3

Eating & drinking 4

Exercise & socializing 2

Management activities 1

total 24

* Lying → ↑ mammary blood flow → ↑ milk synthesis

• Most common violations of ideals are in milking time & management activities

• Parlor capacity must be adequate to milk each group in 60 min if 3X or 90 min if 2X

• Management activities ( breeding, medication, vaccination, veterinary tasks) need to be completed in 1 hour per group

– Organize the work by day of the week to distribute the impact over more days

Time management for cows

Time management for cows

Maximum 3 h / day Maximum 1 h / day

• Even in tie stall barns with feed

continuously available – cows are meal

eaters - 6 to 9 meals per day

• Largest meal between 0600 and 0900

• Smaller meals about every 2 hours until

late evening

• Usually resting from 2200 until 0400

Time management for cows

Feeding management

Time management for cows

Feeding management

• When is fresh feed available?

• Any access limitations?

0900 h

Barn Capacity

• Ideal is 1 cow per stall

– Fresh and close-up pens 0.8 cow per stall

• Many dairies in USA operate at higher

densities – 1.1 to 1.3 cow per stall

– Different economic system without quotas

– Higher marginal profit from more cows even if

individual cow performance decreased?

Barn Capacity

1.3 cows / stall 1.0 cows / stall

Barn Capacity

• Problems with overcrowding – Herd behavior

characteristics of cattle

• Grouping strategies – Separating 1st

lactation from older cows

Measuring Stall Comfort

Look at the cows and the stalls

Goal: >90% of cows using stalls are lying in them properly

Measuring Stall Comfort

You might be mislead by one examination of the stalls but the manure on the cows tells more about average conditions

Cows and stalls are both clean = good stall maintenance

Measuring Stall Comfort

Cleanliness scoring scheme

• 1 manure only up to dewclaws

• 2 manure only up to hocks

• 3 manure on flanks & udder

• 4 whole body dirty

Cleanliness Scoring

1 2

3 4

Cleanliness Scoring

Things other than the stall conditions

may result in dirty cows

Why care about dirty feet?

Direct contact between

feet - legs and teats – udder

when lying in a stall

Ideal = 14 hours lying per day

How can we measure this?

–Frequent visits to the barn

–Hire someone to watch all the time

–Time lapse video recording

Measuring Stall Comfort

Observing individual cows has value

• Do they fit the stalls ?

• Do they align properly ?

• Do they have injuries from the stalls ?

How are stalls maintained ?

Measuring Stall Comfort

Measuring Stall Comfort

Do they fit?

Measuring Stall Comfort

Alignment within the stall

Measuring Stall Comfort

Stall caused lesions

Measuring Stall Comfort

Hocks tell

about stalls

Measuring Stall Comfort

Watch the

cows for

information

about the

feed bunk

management

also.

Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

Sand on concrete platforms

Measuring Stall Comfort - Maintenance

Deep bedded stalls should be filled to the top of the curb

Stall Construction & Barriers

• Examine critically the parts that define the

stall

• Do they permit comfortable entry, lying,

rising and exiting?

• Is the bed soft and clean?

• Do the knee drop test

• Can the cow breathe clean air when lying?

Stall Divider Configuration

Neck rail too low Obstruction in front

Stall Divider Configuration

New but wrong Very old & unfriendly

to cows

Air quality when lying down

Which stall do you think the cows prefer?

Stall Divider Configuration

Stall Divider Configuration