Grooved floor system for cattle housing: ammonia emission reduction and good slip resistance

To improve the slip resistance of solid floors in dairy cow houses and to achieve the ammonia emission reduction prescribed by the Dutch government, precast concrete floors with grooves and a dung scraper were investigated. The grooves parallel to the alley had 160 mm center-to-center spacing and were 35 mm wide and 30 mm deep. The urine could drain along the grooves. Perforations in the grooves were spaced 1.1 m apart and could be open or closed. When the perforations were open, urine could be drained directly into a slurry pit below. In case of closed perforations, draining of urine was only possible at one alley end. The feces were dragged to one end of the alley using a scraper, provided with facilities, that also cleaned the grooves. The floor system was constructed in a compartment of a mechanically ventilated experimental cow house. In another compartment a traditional slotted floor served as a reference. Ammonia emissions from both compartments were recorded continuously. The effects on ammonia emission and the performance of the perforations in the floor were determined. The floor system was also implemented into various practical farms and some practical experiences were gathered. Ammonia emission from the compartment with the grooved solid floor operating with open perforations was reduced by 46␌ompared with the reference compartment. Closing of the perforations resulted in an ammonia emission reduction of 35␌ompared to the reference compartment.