Effects of rubber alley flooring on cow locomotion and welfare

Abstract: This study investigated the effects of rubber alley flooring on cow locomotion, claw and leg health, production, cleanliness, grooming behaviour and cow exclusion rate in a free stall herd. The study was conducted in a new dairy house with a rotary milking system, with a matched group of cows on traditional scraped concrete alleys used for comparison. All claws were trimmed and lesions recorded at the beginning and end of the 4-month study. Locomotion, claw and leg health, behaviour and hygiene were observed and scored at regular intervals during the study. The results showed that cows on rubber alley floors displayed significantly (p<0.001) less lameness than cows housed on concrete. By the end of the study, the risk of disturbed locomotion was at least threefold higher in cows kept on concrete than in those on rubber floors. The results also revealed a negative effect of claw trimming on cow locomotion, with cows in both groups having a higher locomotion score (indicating more severe lameness) after trimming than before. Two out of five cows improved their locomotion after being moved to the rubber floor group due to sore feet. Cows on rubber floors had more heel horn erosion, but the majority was of a mild form. Only sole ulcers had a slight tendency to affect locomotion. Hair loss on the hocks was the most common hock injury in both groups and, together with hock ulcers, was more common in the cows on concrete. All cows became cleaner during the study period, but cleanliness did not differ between the two treatments. Social grooming behaviour was significantly more common in the cows on rubber, but milk production was not affected by flooring, possibly owing to differences in feeding systems. The number of excluded cows was greater in the concrete group, mainly owing to thin soles.