Laying areas

Since cows spend about half a day with laying and resting it is very important for the welfare that the box or laying area is comfortable, clean and dry. Cows need this time for digesting the fodder and producing milk. Further the construction should allow the cow to lay down, rest and rise easily and without pain or the risk of injuries. And it also should provide the cow enough space for natural laying positions and a natural way to rise and lay down. Laying time is also a recovering time for the claws and legs of a cow and therefore important for the health and well being of a cow. (see also a webpage about cow behaviour)

There are different kind of laying areas, depending on the kind of stable:

- Tie-up stable
- Free-stall stable

We also collected the problems that occur and tried to find solutions for them and made a summary and comparisation of our countries:

- problems and solutions
- Summaries from our countries

Back to "animal welfare"

Page updated 23.5.2006