What are the rubber flooring effects on dairy production?
Rubber matting or cow matress in the stalls first help them not slip on the wet cement. Also it give a cushion effect on the hoof and the joint in the leg which helps in preventing lamness. In the modern dairy industry lamness is one of the most common causes for having to cull cows from the herd. Which in turn causes milk production to drop which in turn effects the amount of money you get when you are paid for the milk they pick up to take to the creamery. You are not paid by the gallon but by the pound. Such as our creamery here in Alaska pays us 23 dollars per hundred with milk weighing 8.5 pound per gallon. Here are some quick figures for us here at Little Briitain House Dairy for one case of lamness: Death: $40 Culling: $156 Lost Milk: $40 Milk Discard: $5 Extra Open Days: $36 Farm Labor: $5 Treatment: $27 Total per case Avergae: $309 Locomotion Score 2 = 2.0% milk yeild loss. Locomotion Score 3 = 4.1% milk yeild loss. Locomotion Score 4 = 9.3% milk yield loss. Locomotion Score 5
