Effect of different cow floor mat on the pressure in anterior knees of Holstein dry cows determined using pressure measurement sheet

To analyze limb pain in tethered dairy cows, we compared three cow floor mat materials (pasture mat (R) [PM], KKM rubber mat (R) [RM], and woodchip [WC]) with soil ground considering the pressure applied to the anterior knee of Holstein cows. Three Holstein dry cows (791.3 +/- 44.6 kg, 3.8 +/- 1.1 years old) moored at the Education and Research Center of Alpine Field Science of the Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, were tested. Pressure applied to the anterior knee of the cow by four different floor mat materials was compared using a commercially available pressure measurement sheet. The sustained pressures applied to the anterior knee of the test cow were 7.2 +/- 1. 5, 29.3 +/- 5.1, 17.0 +/- 1.4, and 27.7 +/- 2.5 MPa in the control, RM, PM, and WC, respectively, showing significant lower values (P < 0.05) than in the control. Sustained pressure was significantly lower in the PM than in the other treatments (P < 0.05). The RM was 41.7% cheaper than the PM. The pressure applied to the anterior knee of cow is lower on PM than on RM and WC. PM was more costly than RM but the sustained pressure was much lower on PM.