Studies of cubicle bed design in Latvian dairy farms

Abstract

The article discusses the experience of Latvian dairy farms in keeping cows in cubicle beds. It has been found that the number of cows kept in this way in the country is increasing every year. If in 2010 about 35% of the total number of dairy cows were kept in the cubicles, now it exceeds 50%. In addition, both high and deep cubicles are common. It was found that the highest milk yields and high milk quality (based on SCC) were obtained using deep cubicle beds in which the cows' beds were filled with sand. If high cubicle beds or deep cubicle beds with other bedding are used, the milk yield of cows is on average 15% lower. The number of SCC, on the other hand, increases by 50% with high cubicle beds and increases by 40% with deep cubicle beds with other bedding. However, this figure depends to a large extent on the frequency of cleaning the cubicle and the frequency of refilling the bedding material.