Facilities & Cow Comfort

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 18.5 degrees 4 12

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

Supplemental Cooling 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

Relative Temperature - Humidity Interaction and Cow Comfort 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

Supplemental Cooling 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

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

Time management for cows 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 Maximum 3 h / day Maximum 1 h / day

Time management for cows Feeding management 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 When is fresh feed available? Any access limitations? Feeding management 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

Problems with overcrowding Herd behavior characteristics of cattle Grouping strategies Separating 1 st lactation from older cows Barn Capacity

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

Measuring Stall Comfort 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 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 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