Free Stall and Feed Bunk Requirements Relative to Behavior, Production and Individual Feed Intake in Dairy Cows

Abstract

Dairy cows (12) were used to determine behavior with varying number of free stalls and length of feed bunk. A least squares procedure which regressed for numbers of observations was adopted for obtaining dominance values. Available free stalls were 1.0, .83, .67, .50, .33 per cow. With 1.0 free stalls, linear feed bunk was .5, .4, .3, .2, .1 m per cow changed at 7 day intervals. Cow behavior and locations were quantified by time-lapse photography at 1-min intervals during the last 3 days of each treatment. Behavior was altered when less than .67 free stalls or .2 m of linear feed bunk was available per cow. Minimum stalls needed per cow without altering daily free stall usage = [14.2 h (average use)] .div. [hours per day that free stalls are available to the herd .times. .93 (maximum efficiency before crowding)]. Linear feed bunk of .2 m appears adequate to ensure desired amount of eating time when individuals have access to food in bunk 21 h per day. Estimated individual dry matter intakes were the same at .5 m and .25 m of feed bunk per cow. Intake was affected by time spent eating for .25 m. In 10 variable models, time spent eating, or in free stalls, and individual dry matter intake were described predominantly by production variables.