CowdemyBarnFIG. 13Applied11 min
Stocking & cow flow
Stocking is stalls, bunk, lying, lockup, holding, and movement — not one percentage. Those resources fail separately.
ShareStocking & cow flow
Numbers
Design target
1 : 1stall / cow
Adult-cow housing: one stall per cow is the design target; transition even tighter.
UW Dairyland Initiative
Field notes on this focus
- Note 01Stocking density is a time budgetOverstocking steals lying and eating time. Manage stalls, bunk, and flow, not headcount alone.Knowledge level in this topic: Intermediate. Barn-side working knowledge in this topic: checks, pairing, and what to do next.3 min · 2026-09-09
- Note 02The Pen Average Hides the Cows That LoseA pen average weights every cow equally, so a small group that is doing badly can disappear inside a number that looks acceptable.Knowledge level in this topic: Intermediate. Barn-side working knowledge in this topic: checks, pairing, and what to do next.3 min · 2026-10-05
Also touches this focus
- Note 01Lying Longer Is Not Always BetterAbout 12 hours of lying a day is a common design goal, but a long lying day can mean comfort or illness, and lying hours are not sleep.Knowledge level in this topic: Intermediate. Barn-side working knowledge in this topic: checks, pairing, and what to do next.3 min · 2026-10-05
- Note 02Build the stall around the riseLying time is the budget a stall protects. A stall that blocks the rise charges that time back as standing, collisions, and lesions.Knowledge level in this topic: Intermediate. Barn-side working knowledge in this topic: checks, pairing, and what to do next.3 min · 2026-09-09
- Note 03A Pen Move Is a Social EventMoving a cow puts her into a group with its own social order; for hours to days she may be displaced more and eat less, so plan how often, when, with whom and into how much space cows move.Knowledge level in this topic: Intermediate. Barn-side working knowledge in this topic: checks, pairing, and what to do next.3 min · 2026-10-06
- Note 04Water space is a ration ingredientLinear water space and refill rate behave like ration ingredients. If subordinate cows wait, intake and milk are already slipping.Knowledge level in this topic: Intermediate. Barn-side working knowledge in this topic: checks, pairing, and what to do next.3 min · 2026-09-09
Quick check
Q 01 / 03
Why is “how many cows are in the pen” a weak stocking number?
Sources
- Stocking Density — UW Dairyland Initiative
- Transition Cow Housing — UW Dairyland Initiative
- Freestall Dimensions — UW Dairyland Initiative
Plate credit
System figures are educational plates drawn from public-domain veterinary teaching anatomy (udder, claw, uterus, and housing relationships). They are not scanned specimens. Educational only.
Not a veterinary diagnosis, prescription, or ration formula.