The surfaces cows walk on every day have a factor on herd health. And because cows spend so much time on concrete, lameness often follows. According to Martin Folkema, product manager at Agri-Comfort in Canada, the problem may be more widespread than many producers realize.
“It seems like 30-35% of cows have lameness,” Folkema said on a recent ‘The Dairy Podcast Show’ episode. “But when we start to look at cull cows and subclinical cases, the number is closer to 74%.”
While lameness can often seem like just a sore foot issue, Folkema is quick to point out that it can trigger a chain reaction of other health issues.
“Lameness is probably the cause of a lot of mastitis issues and even reproductive issues,” Folkema says. “If they’ve got a sore foot, they’re not going to stand for being in heat.”
Part of the challenge lies in the barn surfaces themselves. Concrete flooring helped dairies solve problems such as mud by moving cows into cleaner housing systems, but it also introduced harder walking conditions that require careful design and upkeep.
Concrete essentially functions like artificial rock in the barn. It must be roughened to provide traction so cows do not slip, but that same roughness increases wear on hooves over time. As a result, most lameness shows up in the rear legs, where the majority of a cow’s weight and impact occurs.
Because of that challenge, many dairies have started looking at ways to soften high-traffic areas without sacrificing traction. Flooring design and installation choices can play a role, especially in spaces where cows spend the most time standing and walking.
Bringing Comfort Back to the Barn Floor
Rubber flooring has become one option to help reduce the strain created by concrete alleys and other high-traffic areas. When rubber flooring first began appearing in dairy barns in the early 2000s, there was little research behind it. What producers noticed instead were changes in how cows moved.
“Some people were just seeing phenomenal differences on the cows on rubber,” Folkema says. “The gaits were better. The strides were longer. Cows that might have been limping on concrete got onto rubber and suddenly they’re walking better.”
Folkema notes that rubber flooring helps bring back some of the shock absorption cows naturally experience on pasture. Since cows spend much of the day on their feet, often walking two miles or more, flooring improvements can be especially valuable in the areas where cows stand the longest.
“I do believe the area along the manger is probably your quickest payback,” Folkema says. “They spend about six hours a day in front of the manger. Parlors and holding areas are another big priority.”
Improving comfort in these high-traffic areas can also support longer productive lives.
“If you go from two and a half to three and a half lactations, you double your profit on that cow,” he says.
Installation and Maintenance Considerations
How and where rubber is used in the barn can make a big impact on cow comfort and mobility. Proper placement in high-traffic areas allows cows to benefit from the shock absorption and traction rubber provides, helping reduce stress on hooves and legs throughout the day. But with constant hoof traffic, manure exposure and equipment use, it’s important that the rubber flooring is durable enough to withstand daily wear.
“You’ve got to find something that has very high-abrasion resistance and very high-tensile strength,” Folkema says. “You want to go with a virgin rubber compound. You don’t want something that’s been recycled.”
While recycled rubber products may appear less expensive, they often struggle to hold up in manure-heavy barn environments.
“The bacteria and the nature of manure are not good with recycled rubber,” Folkema adds.
Installation timing can also affect performance. Newly installed rubber often has a thin surface film that can make it slick during the first hours of use. Applying a light layer of sand or lime helps remove that film and improve traction for cows.
Temperature can influence installation too Rubber becomes stiffer in colder conditions, which can make handling and fitting the mats more difficult.
“You don’t want to install something in the dead of winter,” he says. “Maybe put it in your shop first to get it warmed up to temperature.”
Maintenance practices may also need to change once rubber flooring is installed. Although the material is durable, it cannot tolerate the same aggressive scraping used on concrete alleys.
“You can’t have the same level of expectation as concrete,” Folkema says. “You can’t get in there with a steel bucket on your skid steer and just start scraping.”
Even high-quality rubber has its limits.
“You can have the highest abrasion resistant rubber out there,” he says. “But if you really want to hurt it, you can hurt it.”
Clearing Up Common Misconceptions
When producers consider installing rubber flooring, a few common concerns tend to come up. One is the belief that cows’ hooves will overgrow if they spend too much time walking on rubber rather than abrasive concrete.
“If you put rubber everywhere, well, there’s nothing left to wear the cows’ hooves down,” Folkema says.
In practice, hoof growth is usually manageable. Cow hooves grow roughly one eighth to one quarter inch per month, and most dairies already trim hooves at least twice each year.
Another concern is that comfortable alleys might encourage cows to lie down outside their stalls. Folkema says that behavior often signals an issue with stall comfort rather than flooring.
“The bigger rule of thumb is if they’re laying in the alleyway, you’ve got to look at your stall,” he says. “Obviously, your stall’s not comfortable enough.”
The Link Between Comfort and Longevity
For many dairies, flooring decisions ultimately come down to long-term cow health.
“I think the focus on cow longevity is going to get more and more important,” Folkema adds.
When cows are more comfortable on the surfaces they walk and stand on, they move more freely and are less prone to lameness. Investing in thoughtful flooring design, proper installation and realistic maintenance practices helps dairies maximize these benefits.
