The design of lying cubicles in dairy housing profoundly affects cow welfare through impacts on comfort, injury risk, and time budget allocation.
Cubicle design is a critical determinant of dairy cow welfare, affecting lying time, comfort, injury risk, and lameness. Cows housed in undersized, poorly bedded, or poorly positioned cubicles spend less time lying, are more likely to develop hock injuries, and suffer greater lameness than those in well-designed systems. Retrofitting cubicles with deep bedding and appropriate dimensions is a cost-effective welfare improvement available to most dairy farmers. Regular monitoring of hock lesion prevalence and lying time provides objective welfare outcome data.