Ground elements

Barn floors and floor coverings play an important and central role in animal husbandry as barn equipment when it comes to the issue of animal welfare. This is because the animals have contact with the barn floor (walking and lying area) 24 hours a day.

For example, soft floor coverings for dairy cows in high stalls in cubicles, also called comfort mats, should enable the animals to lie softly and comfortably, i.e. in a way that is suitable for the animals. In order to be able to reach the functional areas, feeding, lying and milking areas, in the barn, the walking surfaces must allow the cows to move safely and quickly. Non-slip, tread-proof, clean and, if possible, deformable walking surfaces provide the animals with a housing environment appropriate to their species.

What does DLG test and how?

In addition to the technical criteria, such as mounting/installation and durability, the animal-related criteria, such as comfort characteristics, are important. The DLG tests both in the laboratory and in practice. The extensive practical tests are necessary in order to be able to make statements about the animal welfare of the products.

Technical criteria

The floor or floor covering must be sufficiently resistant to treading and abrasion and to the acids (excrement and feed acids) and cleaning agents and disinfectants used in agriculture.

Animal-related criteria

The softness and malleability of a floor is quite crucial for its acceptance by animals. For example, dairy cows lie on soft comfort mats for 12-14 hours per day. This is about twice as long as on hard lying surfaces. This leads to clear strain relief of the hooves, to a better joint health and in the end also to a higher ruminating activity and udder blood circulation. As a result, milk yield increases of 1.0 kg to 1.5 kg per cow per day are possible with soft lying surfaces.

The surfaces of the barn floors must be sufficiently slip-resistant (in dry and wet condition) so that the animals can walk there safely.

The slip resistance is measured using the DLG ComfortControl measuring method. The deformability of floor coverings is measured by indentation tests before and after a continuous tread load of 100,000 or 250,000 treads. The behaviour of the animals is observed and recorded in the farms for field testing. In order to be able to assess the influence of the barn floor on joint and hoof health, extensive evaluations of the joints and hooves are carried out.