Rubber mats prevent slips and injuries
For all farmers, it's the worst way to start a day: entering their barn and finding a cow that has slipped and can't get up. On wet concrete, often polished by scraper passages, the floor can become slippery. During mounting, surprised by the passage of the scraper, the cows slip. The waiting time on the ground before being rescued and the severity of the injuries mean that many will not recover.
Finding cows comfortable on their feet
The installation of rubber mats significantly reduces this risk of slipping. The non-slip coating reproduces the flexibility and stability of a meadow. Non-slip mats secure movements. Cows will move more to drink and eat, which will be beneficial to their milk production. The patterns on the rubber mats make its surface non-slip, improving the safety of the animals. Even on a wet surface, the risk of falls is reduced, including in the event of jostling.
It was a problem of recurrent slips and falls that prompted Christophe Favreau, a breeder in Deux-Sèvres, to install Magellan mats. « Since then, I no longer have problems with slipping, with cows doing the splits », he appreciates. Same approach at Gaec des 4 lieux, in Vendée. « Our old mats were 12 years old and had become smooth. Since we replaced them with Magellan mats on all the scraped corridors, we have found cows that are comfortable on their feet. They run on it as if they were in the meadow, » says Damien Soulard, one of the partners. « Recently, a cow did the splits but, thanks to the structure and the grooves, she managed to get up without damage ».
Another advantage of this stability is that, without fear of slipping, cows will better express their natural behaviors, such as heat. With more frequent mounting, it will be easier to detect cows in heat and therefore inseminate them at the right time. The expression of natural behaviors is, moreover, one of the criteria of animal welfare. A sign that your cows feel safe is that they dare to lift a leg to lick themselves.
When animal welfare meets workplace safety
This stability provided by rubber mats is also a guarantee of safety for farmers. « It's also more comfortable for us, jokes Damien Soulard. Even with wet boots, we no longer risk slipping and getting hurt ».