Dairy farm Klein Hegeman is located in Bathmen, in the province of Overijssel. The 195 dairy cows are milked by robotic systems and have access to pasture every day. The dry cow barn was renovated in February. The old cubicles were replaced with Fitboxes, and the mats were upgraded to Meadow Valley mattresses. In addition, waved neckbars and knee bars were installed. The cubicles were widened, providing more space.
“Because space and comfort are especially important for dry cows, we chose the Fitbox,” says Jawin. “The cubicles are flexible and provide an extra 3 cm of space due to the slim tubing. They are flexible but also very strong. The cows hardly touch the cubicles, but when they do, it’s beneficial that the cubicles can move with them.”
Initially, the family considered waterbeds. However, on the advice of Spinder, they opted for mattresses instead. “We use bio-bedding in our milking barn. When cows are used to that, switching to waterbeds can be difficult for dry cows. Waterbeds move more, which feels unfamiliar to the animals. As a result, they tend to lie down less in the first few days in the dry cow barn. Meadow mattresses better match what the cows are used to, making the transition easier and helping them resume normal lying behavior more quickly.”
And why choose Meadow Valley? “The Meadow Valley mattress slopes upward, allowing moisture to drain off. The mattresses stay clean and dry, so they require little maintenance. We also wanted a slightly thicker mattress. These two factors led us to choose Meadow Valley.”
“Since the renovation, the cows lie down more and do so more quickly than before,” Jawin explains. “Previously, we saw that cows sometimes struggled to get up. Now it is much easier and smoother. I believe this is due to a combination of factors: the extra space from the widened cubicles, the use of the Fitbox, the waved neck bars and knee bars, and the added comfort and grip of the Meadow Valley mattresses.”
