http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpHmc2Os6OcOn one farm a cubicle was designed with a slightly sloping concrete back end. The cow’s dung sat on the back shelf or ran off into the lane. All cubicles were cleaned off daily at the back (the end closest to the lane) including this one that was manually scraped off using a hand-held scraper.
Space is needed in front of the brisket rail to allow the cow to lunge as she lays down and stands up. For UK cows this distance needs to be 70cm to 1m. Without that area she’s forced to use the space in the front of the next cubicle and angle herself unnaturally to get up.
She also throws one leg forward as she gets up and low bars across the front near the brisket board can restrict that natural movement. Those bars, which can be there to prevent the cow from trying to squeeze under the headrail and move through to into the facing cubicle, need to be positioned to give the cow enough room for her natural rising and lying down movements.
If the cubicles are facing an outside wall then care needs to be taken to allow for that extra lunging space beyond the headrail.
Cubicles need to be wide enough for the cow to lie down comfortably but not wide enough to turn around in. In the UK best practice is to have cubicles at least 1.8 times the hip width of the cow.
There are a multitude of designs for the cubicle partitions and some variation in the materials used.
All have pros and cons – watch that pipework is not too low, to avoid cows getting their legs caught when they are getting up, and if heavy duty plastic is used make sure it’s not so flexible the cow can turn around in it.
Layout of the cubicle shed also needs careful consideration.Positioning of a feed lane down the centre will require a wider span shed which might need support structures in the centre along cow feeding barriers.
Another common option is for the feeding lanes to run along the outside long walls of the shed with the cows remaining inside but feeding at a barrier along the two outside edges of the shed.
A 2m overhanging roof with a concrete strip on the outside of the barrier means the entire inside of the shed is available for loafing and cubicles and tractors are kept outside.
If the shed is long, the rows of cubicles can be split and transacted by a loafing passageway where water troughs can also be positioned. Loafing areas must be sufficient to allow cows to express their natural behaviour, socialise or be apart from each other.
The UK’s Red Tractor Farm Assurance Dairy Scheme requires the loafing area to be at least 120% of the cubicle lying area.
At the end of any row of cubicles there should be a passage to ensure there are no dead ends. Cows must be able to circulate around inside the shed allowing animals to move away from each other and not become bunched in one area.
Although UK cows are bigger than New Zealand cows the DairyCo advice on passage widths can be a useful starting point. Not all cows will suit cubicles, they need a training process and there needs to be an alternative for them, either a loose straw bed system or an outdoor wintering option.
Youngstock can be housed in cubicles provided they are the right size. This can be good training for the future herd.
