The Dual Roles of Cow Comfort in Dairy Herd Lameness Dynamics

Abstract

This article describes the dual roles of cow comfort in herd lameness dynamics - interacting with trigger factors to ensure that cows 'get lame' and interacting with the cow once she is lame to ensure that she 'stays lame'. Duration of daily standing activity, the surface that the cow is standing on, and hygiene of that surface are principal components of cow comfort that need to be addressed if we are to break the cycle of 'get lame- stay lame'.