JDS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Interpretive Summary
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Rushen, J.
Right arrow Articles by de Passillé, A. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Rushen, J.
Right arrow Articles by de Passillé, A. M.
J. Dairy Sci. 89:2965-2972
© American Dairy Science Association, 2006.

Effects of Roughness and Compressibility of Flooring on Cow Locomotion

J. Rushen1 and A. M. de Passillé

Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada, V0M 1A0

1 Corresponding author: rushenj{at}agr.gc.ca

We examined the effects of roughness and degree of compressibility of flooring on the locomotion of dairy cows. We observed 16 cows walking down specially constructed walkways with materials that differed in surface roughness and degree of compressibility. Use of a commercially available soft rubber flooring material decreased slipping, number of strides, and time to traverse the corridor. These effects were most apparent at difficult sections of the corridor, such as at the start, at a right-angle turn, and across a gutter. Covering the walkway with a thin layer of slurry increased frequency of slipping, number of strides, and time taken to traverse the walkway. Effects of adding slurry were not overcome by increasing surface roughness or compressibility. Placing more compressible materials under a slip-resistant material reduced the time and number of steps needed to traverse the corridor but did not reduce slips, and the effects on cow locomotion varied nonlinearly with the degree of compressibility of the floor. Use of commercially available rubber floors improved cow locomotion compared with concrete floors. However, standard engineering measures of the floor properties may not predict effects of the floor on cow behavior well. Increasing compressibility of the flooring on which cows walk, independently of the roughness of the surface, can improve cow locomotion.

Key Words: dairy cow • floor • locomotion • welfare




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J DAIRY SCIHome page
W. Ouweltjes, M. Holzhauer, P. P. J. van der Tol, and J. van der Werf
Effects of two trimming methods of dairy cattle on concrete or rubber-covered slatted floors
J Dairy Sci, March 1, 2009; 92(3): 960 - 971.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J DAIRY SCIHome page
E. Telezhenko, C. Bergsten, M. Magnusson, M. Ventorp, and C. Nilsson
Effect of Different Flooring Systems on Weight and Pressure Distribution on Claws of Dairy Cows
J Dairy Sci, May 1, 2008; 91(5): 1874 - 1884.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J DAIRY SCIHome page
E. Telezhenko, L. Lidfors, and C. Bergsten
Dairy Cow Preferences for Soft or Hard Flooring when Standing or Walking
J Dairy Sci, August 1, 2007; 90(8): 3716 - 3724.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J DAIRY SCIHome page
F. C. Flower, A. M. de Passille, D. M. Weary, D. J. Sanderson, and J. Rushen
Softer, Higher-Friction Flooring Improves Gait of Cows With and Without Sole Ulcers
J Dairy Sci, March 1, 2007; 90(3): 1235 - 1242.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the American Dairy Science Association ®.