Stalls must be large enough to provide a comfortable bed and ad- equate room for cows to rise. As animals get larger, so must the free stalls.Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Gamroth, Michael J.

Moore, James A.

Oregon State University. Extension Service

Pacific Northwest Cooperative Extension

United States. Department of Agriculture

University of Idaho. Cooperative Extension System

Washington State University. Cooperative Extension

Undetermined

ScholarsArchive@OSU

3Designing Dairy Free StallsM.J. Gamroth and J.A. MoorePNW 321 / Reprinted January 199rlIt was about 1960 that Adolph Oienremodeled his Stanwood, Washington,loafing barn, installing the first freestalls. From this Pacific Northwestbeginning, these “individual beds” forcows have become the most popular kindof cow housing.Different designs work well ondifferent farms. Some operators likestalls with a concrete base; others don’t.Some use separated manure solids forbedding; others report increased mastitiswhen using them.The common thread in successful freestalls—as in milking, feeding, andbreeding—is good management. Carefulthought in design and regular mainte-nance are keys to satisfaction.A recommendation for one “best”design is impossible because of thegreat differences among farmers, theirobjectives, their management styles, andtheir farms. The following recommenda-tions have been gathered from manysuccessful operations.wstFcmTdL3468111M.SizeStalls must be large enough toprovide a comfortable bed and ad-equate room for cows to rise. Asanimals get larger, so must the freestalls.Table 1 lists recommended stall sizesfor dairy cattle. It is adapted frominformation reported by Cornell Univer-sity, the Midwest Plan Service, andOregon State University.The width is center to center on2-inch dividers; the length is outside ofthe back curb to the front wall orpartition; and the height is from thebedding to the top of stall dividers ormsdpitwsbbteIsA Pacific Northwest ExOregon  •  Idaho  •  Wasithers bar measured at the front of thetall (add about 3 inches at the back ofhe stall).tdcormafsbrsatkable 1.—Recommended stall sizes forairy cattleAnimal size Width Length Height(lb) (in) (in) (in)ess than 300 24 44 —00-400 27 46 3200-600 32 60 3500-800 36 66 3700-1,000 39 72 39,000-1,100 42 78 40,100-1,200 44 82 41,200-1,500 46 84 44ore than 1,500 48 90 44ree stall base materialsTamped soil, heavy in clay, isommon as a base under bedding. Itust be packed solidly before applyingbedding and will need semiannualaintenance to fill holes and restorelope from front to back.A gravel or sand base will improverainage under bedding—but these don’tack well, so maintenance must bencreased. Both will be kicked out intohe alley, causing problems in a liquidaste handling system.Soil, gravel, or sand should fill thetall to within 2 inches of the top of theack curb. The curb will help retainedding. Avoid curbs that stick up morehan 2 inches. Cow injuries can result,specially with square-edged curbs.nside curb edges should always beloped or rounded.Three inches of concrete can replacethe base material. It should be even with••UaaiscsciMsaTEItension Publicationhingtonhe curb at the back of the stall for properainage. Use some bedding on theoncrete.Pipes or boards fastened at the rearf the stall to retain bedding are notecommended. They require additionalaintenance, they can cause injuries,nd they can reduce moisture drainagerom bedding on the rear surface of thetall.Concrete reduces maintenance andedding costs, but more cow injuries areeported, and cows use concrete-basedtalls reluctantly if other base materialsre available.Burying used tires in stalls will reducehe amount of bedding and base materiaicked into the alley:• Drill large holes in the bottom wallsof the tires for drainage.Place the tires horizontally on packedclay.Fill them both inside the “bead” andoutside with soil or sand to preventcows from working them out.Researchers from Washington Stateniversity recommend installationccording to figure 1.One operator has placed a quarter of tire (split lengthwise and then in half)n the fresh concrete poured in freetalls, placing the bead just above theoncrete. The tires in the concrete areofter and warmer for cows than bareoncrete and they have cut bedding usen half.ichael J. Gamroth, Extension dairypecialist, and James A. Moore, Extensiongricultural engineer, Oregon State Universityhis publication prepared in cooperation withxtension specialists at the University ofdaho and Washington State University.He placed the tops of the curvestoward the front of the stall so they don’tcollect unwanted moisture (figure 2).The tire-concrete combination has beenin use over 5 years, and very few tireshave loosened.The average slope of all basematerials should be between 3 and 4inches from front to back of the stall.Cows prefer lying uphill. The slope isnecessary for cow comfort, to preventanimals from lying in the stallbackwards, and to move moisture fromthe top or front of the stall to thealley. bFFigure 1.—Tire-surfaced concrete free stalls, showingapproximate location of tiresFigure 2.—Tire-surfaced concrete free stalls, showing approximate place-ment of tires sawed in half lengthwise and again across the treadFront wall or divider Front wall or dividerRear curb Rear curbStall divider Stall dividerherlBeddingBedding is used to provide insulationand a cushion between the cow and thebase material and to absorb moisture.Sawdust or shavings are the mostcommon bedding in the Pacific North-west. Cereal grain straw works well, butit should be chopped to increase absor-bency, to make handling easier, and toreduce plugging of manure pumps.Separated manure solids can be usedas a bedding material. Stack them for atleast 2 weeks and allow them to heat orcompost. This produces temperatures of140°F and kills mastitis-causing bacteria.During rainy months, compost themunder a roof to attain the bacteria-killingtemperatures.Once composted, store them outsideunder plastic cover so the bedding is notexcessively wet when you spread it in thestalls. Don’t cover a fresh stack withplastic—it will reduce or stop thecomposting process.Rubber mats fastened over a basematerial have been used to replacemmBtlsambscbfcyaamlfcpdedding, but they have some disadvan-tages. Cows prefer lying on otheraterials and adapt very slowly to theats. They are slippery when wet.edding placed over them will reducehese disadvantages, but then you saveittle on bedding costs.“Cow mattresses” are being tried inome western Washington dairies. Thesere made of sturdy, woven plasticaterial wrapped around conventionaledding and fastened to the front of thetall. They look promising in keepingows clean and dry, and in savingedding. A cross-section is shown inigure 3.In a recent Oregon study, the averageost of bedding was $13 per cow perear. Labor costs for chopping, hauling,nd filling are not included in thisverage.Straw and separated solids had lowaterial costs, but they may take moreabor. One farmer purchased newspaperrom a local service organization,hopped it, and bedded for $12 per cower year.Hydrated lime applied to the bed-ing near the back of the stall willrrpltsSvaPprcrrsprsdlisbeduce bedding moisture. Because iteduces the moisture level and raises tH, it may reduce mastitis. Apply ateast 1 pound to the bedding surface inhe rear of each stall when you add ortir bedding.igure 3.—Cross section of cow “mattress”Sawdust/shavings fillStall surface1 x 2" nailing strip (use 6d nails)      2 x 6" nailing striptall dividersDivider design and performancearies widely on dairy farms. About halfre made of wood, and half of metal.ipe-loop stall dividers are gainingopularity. Look for sturdy dividers thatequire little maintenance and that youan remove easily in an emergency or foepair.One divider that provides strength andemoves easily is a heavy pipe loop thatlips into a larger pipe sleeve, which isoured into a concrete head wall. Youemove it by pulling a pin out of theleeve and loop and slipping out the stalivider.Loop dividers average 69 inchesong. This is proper for stalls up to 84nches long. The outside of the curbhould not extend more than 15 incheseyond the end of the divider or belower than 14 inches at the curb, todiscourage animals from walking overdividers or standing along the curb at therear of the stalls.Spring-loaded loops offer someadvantages over regular loops in cowcomfort and maintenance. However,there are complaints that cows learntarltaahey can move them and begin lyinglmost underneath the dividers. Likeegular loops, they require very stoutumber or concrete for attachment.Repairs are higher for pipe loopshan for dividers attached at the curbnd the headboard. However, there’s nottachment in the rear curb to rust off orgsdedbe damaged by equipment that scrapesalleys.Completely rusted pipe or angle ironis a major disadvantage of metaldividers fastened at the curb. Filling thepipe set in the curb with concreteextends service life, but corrosion ofmetal exposed to manure and urine isinevitable.Placing a heavy PVC pipe “boot” inthe concrete curb and slipping the dividersupport within that during installationmay reduce corrosion, extending the lifeof the metal divider.The height from bedding to thebottom of a divider near the back of thestall should be 12 to 18 inches toprevent injury to hips and pins ofanimals. A board in the base material,running parallel with and immediatelyunder the divider, reduces beddingrequirements and the need to rakebedding into hip and leg holes createdby cows.Withers bar or cablePlaced above the divider to meet thecow’s shoulders or withers, a withersbar or cable should discourage cowsfrom lying too far forward in a stall andencourage backing out when standingup.The average distance back from theheadboard should be 18 to 20 inches, or60 to 66 inches from the outside of therear curb. You’ll need to adjust the bar tofit your cows and stall length. The heightof the bar or cable from bedding isincluded in table 1.Use pipe, cable covered with PVCpipe, electrified wire, 1⁄2 inch rebar, orwood. The PVC-covered cable is durableand avoids the injury to cows’ necksthat’s possible with uncovered cable orwire.Pipe—clamped, welded, or bolted tothe dividers—makes stalls more rigid.This is an advantage with lighter-gaugepipe loop dividers. Removal for downercows is still practical with clamped orbolted withers bars.A new method to reduce injury whencows get up is the “floating” withers bar.It’s hinged on the stall dividers to swingup when pushed from below as a cowets up.Some operators run the bar over fourtalls. This provides some weight, but itoesn’t make one cow raise the bar thentire barn length. Figure 4 shows oneesign of the floating bar.84 - 88"60 - 66"ADJUSTABLE, FLOATING NECK RAIL9-12"2" O.D. LOOP PARTITION, 4' O.C.60 - 66"BRISKETBOARDCLEAT UNDER PARTITION12 - 18"42 - 48"8-12"HARDWOOD PLANKS a 1" SPACINGSTALL BEDREINFORCED CONCRETE    CURB & FLOORFigure 4.—Diagram of a free stall with open suspended loop partition; cleated plankbed and sloping brisket board; and adjustable floating neck rail (the dimensions arefor mature Holsteins)Body spaceHead spaceYour cow’s “space envelope”This diagram shows the different positions a cow takes when she moves from resting tostanding. The body space indicates the length between the curb and the brisket boardor withers bar in free stalls. The head space shows the area a cow uses when shetransfers her weight from back to front in standing. These spaces are importantconsiderations when you design comfortable free stalls for your dairy cattle.Brisket boardsThese prevent cattle from moving toofar forward in stalls while lying down.They’re usually placed 20 to 24 inchesfrom the headboard or about three-fourths of the stall length from the rearcurb. Most are made of wood, are set atan angle toward the headboard, andstick out about 4 inches beyond the basmaterial. They should flex slightly whenbumped by the cow.The cow’s head will fit comfortablyover the brisket board into the front ofthe stall, but the board will keep herbody from coming forward.Because the top of the brisket board isslightly higher than the bedding level inthe stall, extra bedding can be stored infront of it and raked back to the layingarea as necessary.Mpad1234stCurbsCurbs at the back of the stall shouldbe concrete. It’s desirable to keep thebase material even with the inside curb topromote drier bedding in the rear of thestall.A tall curb (10 to 12 inches) willreduce manure in the back portion of thestall, whether you scrape or flush animalwastes. If the edges of the curb arerounded, cow injuries will be limitedeven with the tall curbs. Cows have notrouble stepping into or backing out of a12-inch high stall.Cow-to-stall ratioSince dairy cattle spend 10 to 14hours daily lying down, it’s ideal tohave one stall for each cow. This maynot be practical. Northwest dairyoperators are having no problems with10 to 15 percent more cows than stalls.The ratio is an operator preference andis not related to other design factors.PNcptceanagementGood management and individualreference are the keys to satisfactionnd performance of individual stallesigns:. Remove manure at least once daily.. Replace wet bedding promptly.. Repair broken dividers as you findthem.. Restore the base material to itsoriginal slope at least every 6 months.After building or modifying stalls,pend time watching the cows usehem. Do they lie where you wantthem? Can they get up easily? Howmuch bedding are you using?If 3 to 5 percent of the cows arereluctant to use the stalls after 2 weeks,there could be a flaw in the design or inyour management. Using ample beddingwill ease the transition to new facilities.Visit other dairies to see what worksbefore you make changes. Most opera-tors are willing to share their experienceswith you. Your Extension agent canprovide you with ideas that otheroperators have found successful and canidentify operators you should visit beforeyou change your system.acific Northwest cooperative Extension bulletins are joint publications of the three Pacificorthwest states—Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Similar crops, climate, and topographyreate a natural geographic unit that crosses states lines. Since 1949 the PNW program hasublished more than 400 titles. Joint writing, editing, and production has prevented duplica-ion of effort, broadened the availability of faculty specialists, and substantially reduced theosts for participating states.Figures 1, 3, and 4 are reproduced, with permission, from Dairy Free Stall Housing, copyright1986 by the Northeast Regional Agricultural Engineering Service.Published and distributed in furtherance of the Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30, 1914,by the Oregon State University Extension Service, O.E. Smith, director; Washington StateUniversity Cooperative Extension, Larry G. James, interim director; the University of IdahoCooperative Extension System, LeRoy D. Luft, director, and the U.S. Department of Agricul-ture cooperating.The three participating Extension Services offer educational programs, activities, andmaterials—without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability—as requiredby Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972,and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Oregon State University ExtensionService, Washington State University Cooperative Extension, and the University of IdahoCooperative Extension Service are Equal Opportunity Employers. 75/75/75

Designing dairy free stalls

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