Cow Flexible Stalls by Cow Welfare
The advantage
In Flex Stall cows lie down fast because they are not afraid of hurting themselves on the equipment. The flexible stalls minimizes risks of injuries or pressure wounds significantly, which makes it appealing for the cows to use the beds. The result is relaxed cows and longer lying time. On average our clients increase lying time by 1.5 hour per day.
Correct & Comfortable lying position
The flexible yet firm neck rail encourages the cows to lay down quicker by hitting a nerve origin point at their neck. The pipes on the side of the stall then guide the cows into the correct lying position without hurting them. A correct lying position is essential when improving cow comfort. It also reduces barn care because the cubicles are kept cleaner and less bedding is required.
The importance of lying time
Milk production is affected by a lot of different factors like feed quality, resting time and level of stress hormone. Resting time is essential because relaxed cows produce more milk, primarily because of higher blood flow in the udder (+30% lying) and lower level of stress hormones (high level of stress hormone blocks milk-producing hormones). With an added lying time of 1.5 hour per day, each cow will produce between 3.4 and 5.6 lbs more milk every day! Moreover, well-rested cows live longer, have better heat cycles and improved health overall.
Smooth cow traffic
It is not in a cow’s nature to walk backwards. The upper pipe of the system is thus kept short to enable the cows to back out of the beds easily and quickly. The open-ended stall thereby minimizes the need to go backwards, which allows cows to exit fast and establishes a smooth flow in the barn.
Unique opportunities for adjustment
Flex Stall is highly adjustable and can be adapted to any cow breed or size. This is essential because the stall must suit the cows in order for them to lie correctly and comfortably. To achieve the full benefit of Flex Stalls (or any other stall system), it must be mounted correctly based on the average size of the herd. This is why the individual positioning of the pipes is both innovative and important.
