Effect of floor condition on dairy cow gait

A primary reason for unhealthy legs and claws are unsuitable floor properties in dairy houses, which may result in slippery floors and slip injuries to cows and mastitis. The hygiene of a floor surface and floor properties affect the cow claw/floor interaction and gait.
The aim is to determine an objective measuring methodology that characterises a floor system through gait analysis. Concrete and rubber floors will be characterized through gait analysis at 10 farms at 3 cleanliness levels. In the test aisle floor cleanliness level, friction, softness and abrasiveness will be tested at 2 locations.
A digital video camera will be used for gait analysis.
The floor cleanliness will be determined by a colorimetric method and the floor physical properties by physical methods. The statistical analysis will examine differences in how the 4 factors affect cow gait at 3 cleanliness levels and between floor materials, resulting in thresholds for floor design and published in a scientific paper.