Animal Health & Welfare

The so-called 'loafing' area is a space in which cows are allowed free access to stand and move about. The amount of space required depends on the size of the animal, but it is important to allow each individual to express behaviours such as grooming, bullying and the avoidance of dominant cows.

The loafing area is commonly part of the feeding area, and it is essential that it is kept clean and not slippery. Heavily soiled floors increase the risk of lameness through infection and mechanical injuries during slips. Specific recommendations for loafing areas include:

• The provision of an adequate concreted area
• The contol of slurry by scraping at least twice daily
• Sufficient space for all of the animals, ideally calculated based on the average size of the largest 10% of the group. Building recommendations, based on British Standards (5502), indicate that the total loafing area (exclusive of cubicles) must provide a space allowance of 3 square metres per cow. This will typically equate to a loafing area representing 120% of the cubicle area, depending on the design of the building
• Loafing and lying areas for dry cows should provide the same space allowances and housing conditions as for milking cows
• Loafing areas should be, at least in part, covered to allow cows shelter in inclement weather
• Some farmers maintain that the loafing area is best used to allow the cows to stand for at least half an hour after milking. This allows the teat orifice time to close, so may be beneficial in the control of mastitis. Information on mastitis can be found in the main dairy cattle welfare menu.