Cow mattress
A cow mattress is an underlay for cows in cubicle stalls . It serves to increase the comfort for the animals. Since the cows do not lie directly on the concrete when using the mattress, injuries or, in particular, abrasions are avoided. In addition, this mattress insulates much better than concrete and thus makes a significant contribution to “ cow comfort ”, because cows prefer to lie down in a soft and cool place (in summer) or soft and thermally insulated in winter.
A cow mattress can consist of different materials. Today a lime-straw mixture is mostly used in deep boxes , the upper edge of which is flush with the walkway - but with a cross bar raised by ± 20 cm to prevent soiling and to keep the litter in the box. Deep boxes are usually built with a mixture of lime , water and straw . This is usually made with the mixer feeder. As an alternative to the mixture mentioned, sawdust, straw meal or chopped straw is also used.
High boxes have a surface that is around 20 cm higher than the walkway and are usually provided with a rubber pad, which is also referred to as a mattress in the case of thicker layers and / or complex structures. "Water beds" with a height of about 10 cm have proven less effective because they wear out too quickly.