Gummiwerk KRAIBURG Elastik GmbH & Co. KG
Göllstraße 8
84529 Tittmoning
Deutschland
Tel. +49 (0)8683 701-303
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Comfort mats for
Cubicles are frequently insufficiently maintained on farms. The question is whether this causes shorter lying times and affects well-being. Dairy cows are supposed to lie 12 to 14 hours per day in their cubicles.
A study of the Bavarian Research Centre for Agriculture shows the effects of bedding maintenance on the lying times of the cows.
This study aimed to comparing different levels of straw bedding (good: straw bedding 20 cm; bad: bedding 5 cm, around 3600 cm² without bedding) to soft lying mats (KRAIBURG KEW Plus) regarding lying behaviour and preferences. Data were collected in a dairy house with 60 cows (Bavarian Fleckvieh) and a robotic milking system.
good straw bedding maintenance
bad straw bedding maintenance
Die Belegung der Tiefboxen reduzierte sich auf weniger als die Hälfte.
Die Liegezeiten pro Kuh und Tag gingen um über 2 Stunden zurück.
Preferences of straw bedding levels and lying mats
Lying time (h) depending on different straw bedding Level
In conclusion reduced bedding levels affects the cows lying behaviour and lying position. High straw bedding quality is important for a good welfare in dairy cattle. If farmers have not enough time for cleaning and littering the straw beddings they should use soft rubber mats.
Source: Reiter, K., Freiberger, F., Abriel, M., “Straw bedding maintenance: Effects on lying behaviour and preferences of dairy cattle”,
LfL Grub, 2006
Download as PDF file:
Deep-litter cubicles: effects of maintainance on lying behaviour of dairy cows (99 kB)