[Fattening bull raising--alternative housing on slatted floors].

Abstract

Rubber topped slatted floor gives more lying comfort to intensive fed fattening bulls, reduces risks of integument lesions as well as increases their locomotion comfort. On the other side there are more fissured alterations and defects in the sole and heel horn due to lack of sufficient wear away which often made the bearing surface to be overgrown. Overgrown claws are also seen on solid slatted floors, but these horn parts were normally grated down in short time that frequently goes along with abrasions of the claw peak and the wall horn as well. The current experiences of our study show favour to the use of a floor that combines hard and soft qualities. Weak claw performance and health has a link to a bad state of cleanness of the pens and the animals as well and must be assessed with regard to permanent wetness on the grounds. Animals out of greater pens are less dirty because the solid floor becomes sooner dry than in cases with higher crowding degrees of animals. More space per animal and higher comfort gives chance for higher daily weight gain. The recordings and evaluations of this project are still in progress.