Cow comfort self assessment test

1. What type of heat abatement do you have in your barn?

• None
• Fans over feed alley
• Fans over stalls
• Fans over stalls and feed alley
• Sprinklers and fans

2. How often do you score your cows for locomotion (lameness)?

• Never
• Once or twice a year
• Quarterly
• Monthly
• Weekly or more

3. How often do you score your cows for body condition?

• Never
• Once or twice a year
• Quarterly
• Monthly or more

4. How frequently do you groom/clean and remove soiled bedding from the stalls?

• Weekly
• 3 times/week
• Daily
• Every milking

5. How often do you add fresh bedding to the stalls?

• Twice a month
• Weekly
• More often than weekly

6. How often do you add fresh bedding to maternity pens?

• After more than 4 calves
• After 2-3 calves
• Between each calf

7. How much time do cows from your average size groups spend in the holding pen per day?

• More than 6 hours
• ~5-6 hours
• ~4 hours
• 3.5 hours or less

8. How much time per day do cows spend locked up (palpation rail or headlocks) for routine procedures?

• More than 2 hours
• 1-2 hours
• Less than 1 hour

9. How many times a year do cows have maintenance hoof trimming done by a trained hoof trimmer?

• None
• Once
• Twice

10. What percent of your cows stand half in half out in the stalls?

• 20-30%
• 10-20%
• 5-10%
• Less than 5%

11. Which best represents your approach to moving cows to and from the parlor?

• Moving cows quickly is more efficient and will save time
• Slow and quiet is the way to move cows and minimizes stress

12. How do you describe the flooring in alleys?

• Somewhat slippery, not well grooved, has imperfections
• Well grooved, cows don't slip, no major imperfections, holes, etc.

13. What is the stocking density (cows/stalls, cows/headlocks) in your transition (close-up and/or fresh) pens?

• More than 110%
• 100-110%
• 90-100%
• Less than 90%

14. What is the stocking density (cows/stalls, cows/headlocks) in your average size lactating pen?

• More than 140%
• 130-140%
• 120-130%
• 110-120%
• Less than 110%

15. Do you have rubber floors in your dairy facility?

• No
• In the feed alley only
• In the holding area and parlor only
• In the holding area, parlor, and return alleys

16. What type of stall surface do you have in most of your pens?

• Concrete with some bedding
• Mattress with no/little bedding
• High quality mattress with lots of bedding or waterbeds
• Deep bedded stalls or bedded pack barn

17. How do you describe stall dimensions and design in the majority of your pens/your barn?

• Too small and inadequate for majority of cows
• Fair size and design for the majority of cows in each group
• Optimum size/design for the top 25% of larger cows in the group

18. How do you describe the brisket board in the majority of stalls?

• >6” tall, concrete area behind it higher than stall surface
• >6” tall, area behind it at same level as stall surface
• <6” tall, area behind it same level as stall surface, or no brisket board

19. What percent of your cows have clinical metabolic/transition problems? (ketosis, DAs, milk fever)

• More than 30%
• 15-30%
• Less than 15%

20. To what degree to you/farm employees keep abreast of current practices/technology related to cow comfort?

• Do not find it necessary
• Employees do but I do not
• I do but employees do not
• My employees and I keep updated