Dairy cow welfare: caring for facilities and the environment

The facilities and environment where farm animals are housed make a significant difference to their well-being. Taking into account the specific characteristics of each species allows them to express natural behaviors while being protected from physical discomfort, thermal stress, fear, and anxiety. This is critical when considering the welfare of dairy cows.

A study in Bangladesh demonstrated how improving facilities for small-scale farmers, such as creating appropriate resting and movement areas for cows, can raise care standards and productivity.

By adopting Certified Humane® standards for facilities and environmental design, farms create spaces that prevent injuries, accidents, infections, and stress while providing dairy cows with the opportunity to engage in natural behaviors. The benefits extend beyond the cows – reduced costs and increased productivity are just a few advantages.

Farm Fresh® became Asia’s first dairy company to achieve international Certified Humane® certification. With high animal welfare standards, the company sets an example for other farms in the region.

Learn more about dairy cow welfare and how to prepare facilities and the environment in the full article below!

Facility Records and Injury Prevention

Keeping facility records updated and available for inspections and constant monitoring of critical resources benefits animal welfare. Key areas to track include:

• Total area available for the animals.
• Number of cubicles or resting area size.
• Maximum capacity based on age, weight, and space for feeding, watering, and resting.

Preventing injuries in facilities is also essential:

• There should be no physical features that could cause recurrent injuries to the cattle.
• Concrete floors must be well-maintained to prevent hoof issues.

Excessive scars, bruises, and injuries on soles, hooves, knees, udders, tails, and other areas indicate poor environmental conditions.

Corral Maintenance

Animal handling areas consist of pens designed for compassionate containment, suited to the category, environment, and number of animals. For areas where cows spend extended periods standing (feeding areas, milking parlors, and holding areas), rubber flooring is recommended.

Other tips:

• Handling pen floors should be non-slip or covered to reduce slipping risks.
• Floors should not be so abrasive as to damage hooves.
• Concrete floors should have grooves approximately 0.75–1.3 cm deep or be coated with non-slip material.
• Pens should be well-maintained and free from broken parts and sharp edges.

Animal Safety Measures

Several measures related to facility design and maintenance should be adopted, including:

Avoiding toxic substances in facilities:

• Cattle must not come into contact with toxic paints, wood preservatives, or disinfectants.
• Creosote (creoline) should not be used in areas where animals have direct contact with treated materials.

Electrical installations should be:

• Inaccessible to cattle.
• Well-insulated.
• Properly grounded.

Height and passage design:

• Facilities must be tall enough to allow cattle to exhibit normal behaviors.
• Corridors should be wide enough for two animals to pass freely.
• Corridors and passages must prevent dominant animals from cornering submissive or smaller ones.
• Farm pathways should be well-maintained and free of holes or cracks to protect cattle hooves.

Cleaning and Disinfection:

• Internal surfaces of housing and pens should be made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected or easily replaced when necessary.

Download Standards for Dairy Cows

Published on July 30, 2025