respect to leg injuries located in the tarsal joints. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Cattle housing; Cubicle system; Soft mats; Cow comfort; Lying behaviour; Leg injuries
1. Introduction
In Switzerland, direct payments are given to farmers keeping dairy cows in housing systems that are especially adapted to the animals’ behavioural needs. The government
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has launched two programmes Meier, 1999 for housing systems corresponding to defined standards which exceed the minimal requirements for the housing of farm
animals as laid down in the Swiss animal welfare legislation. The first programme Ž
. promotes regular access to pasture and outside yards in wintertime for both cows kept
in loose housing systems and cows kept in tie stalls. The second programme focuses on indoor housing systems that are divided into at least two areas with different floor
qualities and provide the animals with a comfortable lying area. The participation in the second programme requires that the cows have access to a lying area with a high-quality
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straw bedding i.e. a compact mattress composed of straw and cow dung or with another surface equivalent to such straw bedding for them. In this context, farmers and
manufacturers raised the question whether soft lying mats in cubicle systems can be considered equivalent to straw bedding.
It is well known that dairy cows given a choice between different types of lying area Ž
surfaces prefer soft materials Lasson and Boxberger, 1976; Natzke et al., 1982;
. Gebremedhin et al., 1985; Jensen et al., 1988; O’Connell et al., 1992; Herlin, 1997 . If
Ž cows are forced to lie on hard surfaces, they spend less time lying per day Andreae and
. Papendieck, 1971; Natzke et al., 1982; Oertli et al., 1995 and show a reduction in the
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number of lying bouts per day Oertli et al., 1995 . A less comfortable lying area surface also results in an increase in the preparation time required by the cows to lie down
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Herlin, 1997 and in a longer duration of lying down movements Oertli et al., 1995 . Finally, the quality of the lying area surface was found to be related to the incidence of
Ž leg injuries in dairy cows kept in cubicle systems Molz, 1989; Zerzawy, 1989; Oertli
. et al., 1995 .
The aim of the present study was to investigate whether, in cubicle systems for dairy cows, soft lying mats can be considered equivalent to straw bedding regarding animal
Ž . welfare. To assess this, we collected data on 1 lying down and standing up behaviour,
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2 total duration of lying behaviour per 24 h, 3 the number and duration of lying bouts Ž .
and 4 the incidence of leg injuries in dairy cows kept on commercial farms.
2. Methods
