Effect of space allowance and access to bedding in slatted-floor housing systems during second-year rearing on subsequent milk production of primiparious dairy cows.An on-farm experiment was conducted for 152 days on seven Danish commercial dairy farms with Danish Friesian heifers housed in pens with low or high space allowance (1.5 vs. 3.0 m 2 per heifer) on a slatted floor, or with high space allowance and different floor types in the lying area (slatted vs. bedded). At the beginning of the experiment, the heifers weighed 315 kg on average. Data from 105 heifers indicated the tendency that an increase in space allowance was associated with a decline in milk production in the first 84 days post partum. Access to bedding compared with a fully slatted floor tended to increase milk production 84 days post partum. No effect of housing during rearing was found on later somatic cell count per ml milk.
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