No dairy facility is perfect. Even the newest operation has its fair share of bottlenecks. In order to allow animals to be productive, it’s important to provide the basic facility requirements. According to Dan McFarland, an agriculture engineer at Pennsylvania State University, these facilities at minimum should include excellent air ventilation, adequate access to feed and water, allowing for appropriate rest, providing confident footing and giving protection from extreme weather.
While the majority of dairy facilities in the United States provide these simple necessities, there’s still room for improvement. Therefore, it’s essential to take some time to evaluate how your cows are utilizing their environment. During a recent webinar, McFarland, along with John Tyson, who is also an agriculture engineer at Penn State, identify four areas on the farm that might be holding your cows back.
Ventilation
Proper air exchange is crucial to every dairy facility design. Not only does it help ward off respiratory issues and heat stress, but it also removes dangerous gases from the animals’ environment. According to McFarland, it is imperative to make sure your ventilation system is working correctly at all times.
“We have to control the levels of moisture, gas, pollutants and temperature in the barn,” McFarland says. “To do that, we need good air exchange to keep fresh air coming in and stale air moving out.”
McFarland suggests regularly evaluating fan blades, blade cleanliness, belt conditions as well as tension to ensure proper air exchange. One way to confirm that air is traveling efficiently is to measure wind speed. This can be done using an anemometer, which is a relatively affordable wind measuring device. The goal is to provide air speeds of 200 to 400 ft./min. throughout the facility.
It is also a good idea to check for signs of moisture throughout the barn. Look for condensation of the roof, ceiling and sidewalls, wet floors and damp stalls, or even signs of corrosion or rot to the building.
Feed and Water Access
Most high-producing dairy cows will eat three to five hours a day and will consume approximately 12 small meals, according to Tyson. Additionally, the average cow will drink 20 to 30 gallons of water each day. Therefore, it’s crucial to give animals ample access to feed and water at all times.
When it comes to providing feed and water, there are several limiting factors producers should keep in mind. Too little bunk space and overstocking are the most common hinderances.
“Cows should have feed in front of them for at least 21 hours a day,” Tyson says, adding that increasing dry matter intake can boost milk production. “The whole idea of maximizing dry matter intake is a combination of feed space, feed bunk design, feed availability and access to it. Consuming one more pound of dry matter can result in approximately two more pounds of milk produced.”
To help improve feed access, Tyson recommends providing at least 27 to 30 inches of feed bunk space per cow. He also suggests monitoring stocking densities to prevent feed bunks from overcrowding. The feed area design needs to encourage each cow to consume the proper amount of dry matter, provide a comfortable feeding experience, allow for continuous access to high-quality feed and be easy to clean.
At the same time, it is vital to also supply cows with sufficient water sources. Tyson notes that cows should be within 50 feet of drinking water at all times.
“The more milk you want to produce from these animals, the more water these cows need to drink,” Tyson says.
Make sure to provide convenient spaces for cows to drink water easily throughout the facility. This includes as they enter and exit the parlor. Tyson also recommends allowing multiple cows to drink at the same time. Because of this, these animals will need a minimum of 2.5 inches of drinking space per cow.
Resting Behavior
High-producing cows need to rest an average of 10 to 14 hours per day. One way to measure how much an animal is resting is by utilizing Stall Use Index (SUI). According to McFarland, calculating SUI can be done by recording the number of cows lying in stalls, then dividing it by the number of cows not eating. He notes that this number should be greater than 0.75, as it indicates how well the stalls are being used.
To help record these numbers, he recommends using time-lapse cameras. These cameras can help you evaluate when animals are lying down and if they are using their space efficiently. However, it’s important to keep in mind that your stocking density contributes to how often stalls are being used.
When factoring in stocking density, McFarland suggests aiming for no more than 1.2 cows per stall. Resting time is reduced 12% to 27% when stocking density exceeds 120%. Not providing enough resting space could lead to increased idle standing, increased aggression, fewer and longer resting bouts and dirtier conditions. He proposes using stalls that are approximately 8.5 feet long and 46 to 52 inches wide.
Footing
One area producers often disregard is their alleyway. McFarland stresses the importance of furnishing well-made walkways to equip cows with confident footing.
“Hard services are less comfortable for cows and contribute to claw horn overgrowth and weight-bearing disturbances that can predispose lameness,” he says. “Cows were really designed to walk on softer ground. Putting them on a hard surface is going to provide a challenge. And over time, these alley surfaces will wear which could lead to animals slipping and falling.
McFarland suggests taking care of alleys to make sure cows have a competent footing. This means providing floor grooving and maintaining regular resurfacing every three to six years. It’s also important to make sure that your flooring does not have an irregular surface. Holes in the concrete or uneven footing could cause injuries and should be replaced. It’s also important to keep the flooring surface as clean and dry as possible because dry flooring provides better traction.
