A COMFY COW


mproving cubicle comfort for cows can result in an additional 1-2 litres/cow/day across your herd, so taking the time this winter to assess your cow’s comfort and listing what needs to be done next spring and summer when stock are out is an initial start to getting to grips with improving cubicle comfort.


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Cows prioritise lying over eating and it is well proven that cows lying down for 12-14 hours a day produce more and better quality milk compared to those lying down for less. Some 30% more blood flows through the cow’s udder when she is lying down compared to standing, so for every additional hour she lies, up to a limit of 14 hours, she produces an extra litre of milk.


Minor modifications with minimal expense such as moving a neck rail, knocking out a wall or increasing bedding quantity, can bring significant benefits.


96 THE JOURNAL OCTOBER 2014


IS A PROFITABLE COW


As we come into winter housing, minor changes to existing cubicles can improve cow comfort and increase milk yields. Dr Jenny Gibbons, DairyCo R&D manager and Nicky Fair, DairyCo extension officer and Cow Signals© trainer, review the evidence on cubicle comfort


How comfortable are your cows? Lying time is not simple to measure, but observing how your cows interact with their cubicles can provide clues to what changes are needed. On many farms, the biggest culprit impacting on cow comfort is badly positioned cubicle neck rails. Watch out for cows standing diagonally or perching. Perching describes cows standing with their front feet in the cubicle and back feet in the passage. This means that their feet are on concrete, often in slurry rather than on soft


PHOTOGRAPHY BY AGRIPHOTO


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