Improving cows' lying time by an hour a day could boost income by £288 per cow over a winter housing period. Natalie Noble visits a farm in Shropshire where improving cow comfort has really paid dividends.
Small measures can make big changes to the dairy herd. Cow comfort can often be underestimated and simple alterations to cubicles which improve lying times by one hour can add up to 1.6 litres per cow to the bulk tank each day. With the average UK herd size at 148 cows, that could mean an extra 237 litres per day.
George Allen and his fiancee Laura Tomlinson took over the Allen family's Abbey Farm in Whitchurch, Shropshire, in June last year, and faced some immediate challenges with performance and fertility.
Under the guidance of Alastair Johnston, senior consultant at Promar International, they introduced a total mixed ration (TMR) buffer feed and culled underperforming older stock or those with reoccurring health issues to alleviate pressure on resources, reducing stocking rates for housing to 95 per cent.
Mr Allen says: "We also split the herd into high and low yielders for improved production and transition management."
With a smaller but more productive and healthier herd, he anticipated a further positive response in yield after the cows settled down at housing.
He says: "We did not see the response we were hoping for so, as part of a practical farm review, Alastair carried out a cow and housing assessment to help us identify what and where we were going wrong."
This included watching cow behaviour, measuring the cubicles and using a smoke bomb to test ventilation.
During these observations it became apparent cow comfort was limited - few were lying down for any great length of time and most were either stood or perching.
Mr Johnston adds: "Taking dimensions showed the bed lengths were too short and the positioning of the head rail and sleepers between the wall and brisket barrier were obstructing lunge space."
To improve cow comfort, Mr Allen removed the sleepers and moved the headrails forward by 10cm. This increased lunge space to between 70cm and one metre, depending on cubicle positioning in the shed, increased bed length from head rail to heel stone to 2.16m and gave the cows a more comfortable head space.
Other changes included removing the Yorkshire boarding top doors, which were restricting airflow over some of the cubicles, and reopening a yard area leading out from the cubicles.
Mr Allen was surprised by just how much difference the changes made.
He says: "Within 48 hours we saw an additional two litres per cow per day in the bulk tank. There was an immediate increase in the number of cows lying and the time they spent lying down.
"The average yield since housing has now grown by more than four litres per cow per day; it has not cost us anything but our time to make the changes to the cubicle shed. The costs involved in changing the cows' rations have also been offset with the doubling of margin over purchased feed. The return has been well worth it."
Using Promar's data and costings service, Milkminder, enabled Mr Allen to understand his cost of production and gave clarity to the financial impact of the farm improvements.
Mr Johnston says: "The changes can clearly be seen in the data.
"The increase in yield can be accounted for with two or more litres coming from environmental changes and the rest from feed. Alongside this, the margin over purchased feed has almost doubled, with cost of feed per litre falling from 7.5p to 4.2p."
Mr Allen and Miss Tomlinson have been extremely encouraged by the response they are getting from simple changes.
Mr Allen says: "The improvement in productivity and cow health has been positive. The increase in production means we have not lost litres from culling - we are now producing more milk with fewer cows and herd health is much better. I would encourage other farmers to take the time to observe their cows and assess the suitability of infrastructure.
"Making alterations or investments in cow comfort really can pay dividends."
FARM FACTS
- 75 hectares (185 acres); 55ha (136 acres) owned, and 20ha (49 acres) rented
- 110 pedigree Holstein cows registered under the Sterling prefix, calving all year
- Liquid contract with Meadow Foods
- Feed cost per litre: 4.2p
- Typically housed from the end of September to April
Cow comfort and shed ventilation were key considerations in the alteration plans.
EXPERT OPINION ON IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY
Ivor Davey, director at CowPlan, reveals how simple changes can make all the difference to productivity and health.
Observe cows but do not mistake common behaviour for natural behaviour.
Mr Davey says when a cow lies down, she uses a lot of space.
"As she goes from standing to lying, she uses her head as a counterweight for balance and bobs her head; known as the bob phase. Anything which obstructs or interferes with this will result in poor lying positions, times and comfort.
Mr Davey adds it is important to consider the long-term aims for your building and the size of your cows now and in the future.
Size of cow: This is paramount for calculating required housing dimensions.
Bed length including lunge space: Single row facing a wall should aim for three metres, smaller breeds will require 2.8m. Head-to-head rows can be bigger with shared lunge space, aim for 5.3m at least
Bed width: Average width allowance is 1.2m, this allows enough space for the cow to lie comfortably but controls positioning and helps keep beds clean
Position of head rails: Head rails set at 127cm rather than 114cm give the cow enough room during the bob phase and encourages the cow to stand fully in the cubicle instead of perching
Heel curb and brisket barrier: The heel curb can be about 15-20cm high, allowing for cubicle and slurry management. The distance between heel curb and brisket barrier is dependent on cow size. A space of 1.72m will help position the cow correctly in the cubicle
Gradient of bed: Beds should have a 3.5-4 per cent fall; about 7.5-10cm. More than this can result in problems keeping bedding on the beds
Passage widths: The passage to a feed barrier should never be less than 3.35m wide and at least 4.87m where possible. Between cubicles it should be 2.75-4.27m, but this will depend on the length of the building and the slurry handling system in place
Mr Davey says making changes to housing does not have to be costly.
"Assessing housing and considering future herd and farm plans will help farmers make informed decisions about the level of investment required.
"And the returns are worthwhile. Improving lying time by one hour per day for a 120-cow herd over 180 days, the average winter housing period, can increase production by 31,680 litres. Based on the average UK farmgate milk price of 29.35ppl, this is an additional £9,298 of income a year."
