Automated Dairy Specialist
June 2024
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Classic Cow Comfort Versatility
Advanced Diamond Traction and Comfort
Ultimate Grooved Rolled Rubber
Automated Dairy Specialist
May 2023
Automated Dairy Specialist
Superior Cattle Comfort
and Traction
Going into the project, we were told joint health could be an issue with animals spending too much time on concrete.
Adam Pieper and his family; wife Pam, daughter Maeghan, and two sons Stan and Courtland operate a 1900 head beef cattle farm near Richland, Nebraska. MJM Farms has been in the Pieper family for generations and grows its own corn, soybeans, and alfalfa crops to feed their cattle.
They recently built a new six-pen confinement barn designed to house and manage 960 cattle, protecting them from the harsh outdoor elements. Their new barn features a slatted concrete flooring system allowing for the efficient removal of manure and other waste materials.
While concrete flooring is commonly used in cattle confinement barns due to its durability, concrete’s hard and abrasive surface can cause excessive wear and damage to hooves as well as leg and joint issues which can lead to lameness and mobility problems, injuries from slips and falls and even the early culling of animals because of those injuries.
It is an investment….But when you consider what your overall investment is in the cattle and their performance, you need to give those cattle every opportunity to perform at their utmost ability.
Their joint and hoof health is largely contributed to the rubber mats. If we were to do this again, I would never consider going without them.
When the Pieper family witnessed cattle on concrete with hoof injuries and abscesses, they knew they wanted to address that up front. The family’s relationship with Automated Dairy Specialists lead them to select Animat’s Slatted MaxGrip rubber flooring for all 6 pens in their confinement barn.
Animat’s Slatted MaxGrip rubber flooring has a high-grip profile which provides superior traction, improves the rate of gain and feed efficiency, and enhances cow comfort while reducing the risk of lameness and injury.
Initially, MJM Farms felt that 120 days would be the maximum length of time cattle could spend in the confinement pens comfortably, but have been pleasantly surprised that a few lots have far surpassed this timeframe without any joint health issues thanks to MaxGrip’s superior comfort and traction.
The installation of Animat’s Slatted MaxGrip rubber flooring at MJM Farms has effectively averted hoof injuries and abscesses among the cattle. Additionally, the added cushioning enhances the cattle’s comfort, leading to an improved rate of weight gain and enhanced feed efficiency.
They noticed that it was not only the cows who preferred walking on Animat’s rubber flooring. Maeghan shared that during the construction of the confinement barn, workers would go out of their way to walk on the rubber flooring instead of the concrete as they moved throughout the barn.
Standing and walking on hard and abrasive concrete surfaces can cause discomfort, fatigue, hoof injuries and slips and falls when concrete is wet or slick which may result in early culling.
Installing Animat’s Slatted MaxGrip rubber flooring in cattle confinement pens provides a comfortable, slip-resistant, hygienic, and insulated surface where animals can thrive.
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