Reducing Stress on Dairy Cows With Rubber Matting
Creating a relaxed and calm environment that helps to reduce the stress your cows experience is critical to keeping animals safe and making sure your dairy farm is performing at its best.
Stress can cause a number of issues such as loss of appetite, dehydration, aggression, and discomfort that can lead to injuries and impact animal development.
High-stress situations such as milking, testing, and transporting animals amplify the risk of injury and it is our responsibility to make sure livestock are kept calm and are provided with the best care. Creating a relaxed environment by reducing noise, making sure surfaces are clean and non-slip, and moving animals in smaller numbers are all part of minimising risk and prioritising their safety.
Rubber matting is a great and simple way to minimise some of the stress animals experience in these high-pressure environments. Having quality rubber matting installed in a yard, on tracks, on the milking platform, and in stand-off areas, creates a non-slip surface that is both comfortable and effective in keeping animals calm, and safe, while also absorbing some of the surrounding noise.
Reducing Slipping
A cow’s hooves aren’t designed to walk on hard surfaces like concrete, so they often get injured when slipping and falling. Because concrete is so smooth, it can be very difficult for animals to stay on their feet, especially pressured to move either by handlers or other animals. When a cow slips, they risk injuring themselves, even if they quickly recover their footing.
Some rubber matting solutions, like those available at NumatAGRI, are specially designed with grooves, studs, or lugs that provide animals with the grip they need to stay on their feet. The rubber surfacing is installed on top of concrete and secured down to provide consistent grip as cattle move across.
Reducing Pressure on Hooves
Hoof lesions are a common problem in cows, and hooved animals, where hard surfaces cause pressure on the sole of the hoof leading to internal damage that takes weeks to heal. Because concrete is hard and abrasive, it creates a lot of stress on hooves when cows are moving or standing around for a while. Installing durable rubber matting on concrete areas where cattle spend their time, can work to reduce some of that pressure and reduce the likelihood of hoof lesions and similar injuries.
Reducing Noise
Cows are naturally sensitive to loud noise, and it stresses them out which can cause them to behave in a more aggressive and agitated manner during milking. Rubber matting helps absorb some of the surrounding noise, helping keep cows calm—and ultimately makes handling them a lot easier.
Installing quality rubber matting offers a surface compatible with your animal’s natural environment, soothing them and keeping them calm and safe from stressing out and injuring themselves.
We have worked with many farmers across New Zealand, who have seen some great results by installing rubber matting on their farms.
If you’d like to know of somebody using our matting that might be near you, give our friendly support team a call on 0800 686 119 and we can put you in touch. Likewise, if you are looking for a rubber matting solution for your farm give us a call, flick us an email, or fill in the form on our contact page.
