Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Cow Comfort In Tie-Stalls: Increased Depth Of Shavings Or Straw Bedding Increases Lying Time, C. B. Tucker, D. M. Weary, M. A. G. Von Keyserlingk, K. A. Beauchemin

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

Over half of US dairy operations use tie-stalls, but these farming systems have received relatively little research attention in terms of stall design and management. The current study tested the effects of the amount of 2 bedding materials, straw and shavings, on dairy cattle lying behavior. The effects of 4 levels of shavings, 3, 9, 15, and 24 kg/stall (experiment 1, n = 12), and high and low levels of straw in 2 separate experiments: 1, 3, 5, and 7 kg/stall (experiment 2, n = 12) and 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 kg/stall (experiment 3, n = 12) were …