Dairy cows need 12-14 hours of lying time daily for rumination, rest, and health. Poorly designed cubicles reduce lying time, causing lameness, mastitis, and reduced milk production.
The ability to lie down comfortably is a fundamental welfare need for dairy cows. Cattle spend 12-14 hours lying daily in natural conditions — this time is used for rumination, which accounts for a significant proportion of daily dry matter digestion, and for rest that supports immune function and reproductive performance. Poorly designed cubicles — too short, too narrow, with neck rails that prevent the cow from achieving a natural lying posture — result in reduced lying time, longer standing periods, and increased lameness from standing on concrete. Welfare-positive cubicle design inverts the typical constraint: the cubicle should fit the cow, not the cow adapt to the cubicle.