Thursday, October 23, 2014

Replacing Cow Mats...

Did you know that cows have the privilege of laying on mats in their stalls? They're not actually mattresses (although some barns do use mattresses of a sort), but they're thick, rubber mats that give them a softer base than concrete to stand on, and better traction as they get up from lying down. This helps to prevent leg issues in the cows, and also helps prevent tramped teats as the cows get up and down.

We put cow mats in all of our stalls a while ago.  Over the years they need to be trimmed as they stretch, secured back down as the bedding works it way underneath,  and eventually they need to be replaced.  It was a good job to get started on, on this rainy day.

Here are some of the old ones, with a small sample of the new one laying on the right side.  It's the clean, black piece.  Look how much thicker it is...


Yesterday morning while Jim ran to pick up new mats, Daniel tore out the old ones and cleaned off the concrete base underneath.  Then it was time to put the new mats in place.  They had to cut around the posts to make them fit.  Jim drilled through the mat into the concrete with his hammer drill...


...and Daniel anchored the mat in place with concrete anchors...


Putting the next mat in place, measuring and cutting around the post...


This is a time consuming job, so they only get a few mats done each morning.

I wonder if the cows will figure it out and fight over the stalls with the new mats? I would!

11 comments:

  1. I'm glad to see that the cows have mats to stand on. Looks time consuming to make them, but worth it. Things like this are good examples of animal husbandry.

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  2. We use mats for our horses too. They are so heavy! I can barely drag them!

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  3. when you mentioned them yesterday, i wondered what they were, exactly. that's something new since i was around dairy cattle (some 30+ years ago!) but i think it is a marvelous idea! i've seen too many cattle slip and fall on concrete!

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  4. The cows will be real happy to go in their new padded stalls but you might get a few pouty ones who will resist change, lol.

    Our cows are in free stalls and sometimes we get a stubborn cow who choose to lay down in the ally way. That is not good as she can get bacteria in her udder. Silly cows.

    Speaking of cows, I has one calve yesterday with a calf weighing at least 100 pounds or over. He was huge and and I helped my son pull him out.

    Have a great day.
    Hugs,
    JB

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  5. Nice job!
    It will feel good to get that chore completed, I'm sure.
    The cows probably won't appreciate all the hard work that went into their care, but I am impressed with the care you give them :)

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  6. Oh that looks like hard work but I can tell those cows are going to be smiling and some are going to be jealous:) Hug B

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  7. Your ladies are so blessed. You and yours really know how to treat them right.

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  8. Such nice things to stand on. What hard work.

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  9. Oh my gosh, the work never ends!

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  10. Lucky cows! My goats are going to be jealous.

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  11. We used something similar in the horse trailer. They sure save a lot of slipping and sliding. I'm certain the animals enjoy them. I wonder if they will try to get in the stalls with the new stuff?

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