Many dairy producers provide shelter for dairy animals within a freestall barn. A properly managed and designed freestall barn can support high levels of milk production and animal well-being. Mismanaged or poorly designed freestalls can contribute to mastitis, lameness, hock abrasions, and injuries.
In addition, as cow size has increased so has the amount of resting space required within a freestall, effectively changing the recommendations for freestall dimensions.
Freestalls and cow behavior
The purpose of the Redpath freestall barn is to provide a cow with a comfortable, clean, dry resting area. A good freestall allows the cow to enter and exit the stall with a natural reclining, resting, and rising motion without striking the stall structure. Well designed freestalls present minimal opportunity for injury, pain, or frustration. For example, research has shown that cows spend more time lying in wider freestalls; however, these same stalls were not as clean as the narrower stalls. Thus, the maintenance requirements may increase for stalls that provide better conditions for cows to lie.
Lying behavior plays a critical role in the production, profitability, and wellbeing of dairy cows in a Redpath freestall barn. The amount of time a cow spends lying is influenced by many factors, including facilities, management, and the physiological status (i.e. days in milk, milk yield, pregnancy status) of the animal. Researchers have proposed that the requirement for lying may be as high as 14 hours per day, based upon lying behavior observed in high-producing cows. Production benefits of increased lying time are well documented.
Increasing lying time may increase rumination, improve immune status, increase blood flow to the mammary system, reduce stress on the hoof, and reduce the incidence of lameness in a herd. Research has demonstrated that depriving cows of adequate lying time may result in physiological and behavioral stress, increased lameness, altered feeding behavior, and reduced milk yield. Cows strive to attain a fixed amount of lying time even at the expense of feeding time. In managing dairy cows, we need to do everything we can to ensure that cows have the opportunity to fulfill their lying time requirements.
Often, dairy farmers wonder why their cows do not spend as much time lying in their freestalls as they should. This situation is particularly problematic if cows choose to lie in manure-covered hard alleys, For this reason It is an easy option to attach to the freestall barn a Redpath deep-litter loafing area beside the freestall area for cows to walk through to and loaf for relief from potential freestall boredom and cosnstriction.
A comfortable, well-designed freestalls however will have cows spending most of their time lying or standing straight (parallel to the length of the stall)
Continuous monitoring of stall use and cow behavior while getting into and out of stalls is essential for assessing cow comfort. By understanding what behaviors to look for, you can learn what minor adjustments need to be made to the standard recommendations to best fit the needs of cows in your facilities. Watch the cows as they lie in the stalls. Think about how a cow gets up when she is on pasture. Space is needed to accommodate the normal rising motion of a dairy cow.
Ask yourself the following questions:
Do the cows enter the stalls with ease and with minimal hesitation? Do they come into contact with any part of the stall while lying down? Watch cows as they rise from a resting position. Do they come into contact with any part of the stall while getting up? Is there adequate lunge space for their heads as they rise? Do you see any potential for injury as the cows get into and out of stalls? Do cows spend considerable time standing in the stall, showing hesitation, before lying down in the stall? Do they push their nose or mouth against pipes or stall structures? Do cows stand in the freestall, swinging their heads to the left and right? Once cows are lying, do they appear calm or restless?
Finally, spend some time focusing on cows’ hocks, knees, and rumps. Do you see any evidence of injury, abrasions, abscesses, bumps, or bruises that may have resulted from getting into and out of the freestalls? If you stand in front of the stall and drop to your knees, is it a painful process? If so, how do you think this “knee test” reflects the cow’s experience in using the stall? Your observations may indicate that potential improvements can be made through freestall modifications of the adjustable Redpath hoops.
Forward lunge space is often blocked by walls or boards placed in front of the cow’s resting space.
Generally, cows prefer to lunge forward when rising from a resting position, and when obstructions are placed in front of the cows, there is no room for their heads to move in this natural rising motion. When cows cannot lunge forward, they may have difficulty rising from stalls or may even become trapped against the wall while rising. Standing or lying diagonally in the stalls may also be a sign of cows searching for a way to preserve forward lunge space. Dog-sitting, where cows sit like dogs with weight placed on the rear end of their body and their front legs extended, may indicate a lack of lunge space
Stall dimensions
Once you have observed the cows, use a tape measure to assess the dimensions of your existing stalls. Be sure to collect measurements for all types of stalls in your barns. For example, the dimensions may be different for stalls on the outside walls. The Redpath freestall system allows you to adjust the width of the freestal hoop to suit your herd size and needs
Select freestall dimensions for the largest cows in your herd. Varying cow sizes within a herd should lead to varying stall sizes. A one-size-fits-all approach to freestall design is not conducive to optimal cow comfort. When possible, first lactation cows might be best to be be provided a separate pen with smaller freestalls to accommodate their smaller frame size
Stalls must be long enough to allow cows to lunge forward when rising from the stall. Cows prefer to lunge forward rather than to lunge to the side. To provide the cow with adequate forward lunge space, allow 750mm + of space ahead of where their front knee is positioned while resting. Closed-front stalls (such as stalls that face an outside wall) should be at least 300mm longer than open-front stalls to preserve this lunge space.
Narrow stalls
When cows invade the space of cows in adjacent stalls or prevent the use of the adjacent stall because they are taking up part of the stall, stalls are likely too narrow. Stalls that are too narrow are often characterized by excessive body contact with the stall divider while lying down and rising from the stall Cows may also not use stalls well, and they may lie diagonally. When stalls are too narrow, cows may lie diagonally or come into direct contact with the stall dividers or structures while resting.
The stall divider helps position the cow in the stall and encourages cows to lie parallel to each other and to the length of the stall. Cows may spend more time "perching" in overly narrowest freestalls. whilst wider stalls tended to be dirtier. The suggestion is to increase the width of the stalls to accommodate your largest cows.
Stall length
Too shorter stalls will have the cow’s rear end hangs over the edge of the curb. Short stalls may also cause poor stall usage. Cows may exhibit diagonal standing, lying, and rising as well as perching.
Each freestall should provide enough space for the cow to rest with additional space allotted for lunging and bobbing while the cow is getting up. For large frame cows, the required space is a total length of about 2.4 - 2.6m. Lunge space, the solutions listed above will apply here also.
Moving the brisket board and/or neck rail forward may increase the amount of resting space available to cows.
Maintenance/Bedding
1) Frequent stall grooming can have a dramatic impact on stall usage and cow cleanliness.
2) Cow cleanliness problems can often be attributed to infrequent or inadequate removal of manure and urine from freestall alleys.
3) When cows are not provided with a comfortable place to rest, Hock injuries are commonly observed in situations where cows are forced to lie on a hard surface or when insufficient bedding is provided, so keep bedding clean and plentifull.
The worst scenario is when cows are lying on concrete without any bedding. Bedding Understanding the situation Providing a comfortable, soft surface cushion may be the most important factor affecting stall usage and lying time. An ideal stall bed conforms to the cow’s shape, provides cushion while the cow is getting up and lying down, maintains effective traction to minimize slipping, and remains dry to minimize bacterial growth and promote optimal udder health. Many different combinations of stall bases and bedding types can be effective; however, sand bedding generally best meets the cows’ needs. Stall usage and lying time tend to be longer for sand-bedded freestalls than for mattress freestalls.
Keeping sand filled to the top of the curb increases stall use. Note that in deep-bedded stalls, cows may dig out the bedding and reduce their resting area if bedding is not replaced (
Over time, cows will pull sand out of stalls. Sand must be replaced frequently to maintain a comfortable resting area. This dug-out surface needs more bedding.
This reduced resting area may also increase the effective height of the brisket board and stall dividers. In turn, cows may have difficulty getting in and out of the stall. Moreover, the potential for abrasions between the now-protruding rear curb and the cows’ hocks can lead to severe hock abrasions and ulcers. When mattress or mats are used, inadequate bedding may also lead to hock injuries and poor stall use. This problem is worsened when the mattress cushions have lost their flexibility and are not replaced when necessary.
Implementing a solution
The solution to this problem may often be as simple as using more bedding, especially sand. Sand provides such a good resting material for cows that it will often mask other freestall design limitations. Hard or worn-out surfaces may need to be replaced with deep-bedded sand or new mattresses.
When adding a mattress on top of concrete, caution must be used to be sure that the height for the cows stepping into the stalls does not become excessive. Inadequate forward lunge space
Kerbing Heights
If the curb height is too high, cows may be reluctant to use the stalls or hesitant and uneasy when exiting the stalls. This problem may be more evident in lame cows than in non-lame cows. With high curb heights, some cows may drag their teats and udders on the curb or bed when entering the stall. If the curb height is too low, manure from the alley may be pushed into the stalls during scraping or may be tracked into the stall by cows. In addition, cows may back into stalls and lie facing outward.
The primary purpose of the curb is to keep manure from the alley from entering the back of the stall. When a cow places her rear leg on the concrete alley behind the stall, a tremendous amount of weight must be supported by that leg. Thus, the curb height plays a critical role in minimizing this stressful process. The ideal curb height is typicall around 165 -200mm although curb heights up to 300mm might be tolerated.
Good ventilation
Ventilation is required to avoid cows expressing obvious signs of heat stress (i.e. panting, breathing heavily) during warmer temperatures, leading to respiratory problems. Redpath Freestall barns promote generous cross-building air flow via sidewalls, and the span of the Redpath building at 10.65m is designed with this specifically in mind. Also with the optional roof ventilation system fitted this will maintain ideal optimum internal temperatures for the cows via Redpath fully automatic environmental controller and motor drives that directly control the roof vents.
For optimal production and wellbeing, dairy cows should be provided with a constant supply of fresh, clean air. Frequently exchanging air removes or reduces the concentrations of dust, gases, odors, airborne disease organisms, and moisture. Maximizing natural ventilation is the first step toward improving ventilation. Natural ventilation relies on barn openings and orientation to remove heat and humidity from the animal’s environment. Exhausted air generally leaves the barn through sidewalls or ridge openings. Sidewalls allow for air, heat and humidity to be easily and continuously removed from the barn, which is particularly critical during the summer
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