Comfort Strategies for Dairy Cows — Try a Waterbed

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The more comfortable a cow’s bed, the more likely she’ll spend her day laying about making milk instead of standing or walking. A well supported, comfortable, resting cow is less likely to end up lame as well, and the link between lameness and reduced production and decreased fertility is real. Nearly all bedding options — shavings, straw or sand — get pushed around and moved over the course of the day, often leading to less that consisting cushioning under the cow.

RealAgriculture.com caught up with Amy Throndsen, director of marketing with DCC Waterbeds, at the 2013 Western Canadian Dairy Seminar to talk about cow comfort and how the two-chamber waterbed design works. As Throndsen demonstrates in this video, the waterbeds are designed for cow comfort, consistent support for limbs and pressure points and have a rounded surface so urine and milk move off the bed and into the gutter.

FOR ALL OUR COVERAGE OF THE WESTERN CANADIAN DAIRY SEMINAR, CLICK HERE.

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