The inside track on the best position for walkways

When Martin Mathias created 1,200 metres of tracks on his Pembrokeshire dairy farm he was advised to lay them on the side of the hedge that had the most sunshine.

However, he couldn’t follow this advice because it wasn’t practical but three years on he realises how beneficial it would have been.

Mr Mathias, who runs a 250-cow spring calving herd at Bangeston Farm, near Pembroke, said: “I can now see the sense in this. On the shoulders of the season when it tends to be wetter our tracks are in the shade for quite long periods so there is less opportunity for them to dry out.”

Another mistake he made was that the camber in the centre of the tracks was not high enough to encourage water run-off. This problem was particularly acute last year when the tracks had little opportunity to dry out.

“We reached a stage where the cows were refusing to walk off the yard because they didn’t want to walk on the wet tracks.

“Mud seems to be the worst thing of all because it makes their feet soft and they are prone to stone punctures,” says Mr Mathias.

The result was stone damage and wall ulcers.

“It had more of an effect on the cows’ feet than a rough track would because the wetness made their feet soft,” says Mr Mathias.

“Our cows have to walk long distances to the parlour, about 45 minutes from the furthest point, and the wet track was taking its toll on their feet.”

He budgets to maintain the tracks annually but last year made the decision to invest further to create long-term improvements.

He invested £5 a running metre to create a camber along the five metre wide tracks. The width is more than he needs for his current herd size but he wanted to allow for future expansion.

Mr Mathias was able to keep the cost down to £5 per metre by using his own red sandstone. Initially the stone was laid in the size it was quarried, but it soon became apparent that this would be damaging to the cows’ feet.

Mr Mathias hired a crusher and the stone was broken down to around four inches.

A roller was then used to compact the surface and take the edge off the loose stones.

The improved tracks will be put through their paces for the first time when the crossbred herd starts calving in the spring.

“We ask a lot from our cows, to produce milk and to walk long distances,” added Mr Mathias.

“The least we can do for them is to make sure they have a good surface to walk on.”

Mr Mathias has noticed that when his cows come in to be milked they make use of the whole width of the track, but when they go back out to the field they mostly walk down the middle.

“There is a greater volume of stone in the middle and it tends to be the driest part, but it does mean that some parts are used more heavily than others,” he says.

He is in no doubt that a poorly maintained track is the number one cause of lameness leading to the consequential fall in milk output and profits.

Cows walking on poorly maintained tracks are prone to front foot lameness, in particular white line separation.

The penalties of reduced milk yields and treatment exceed the expense of keeping tracks to an acceptable standard.

A major reason for the breakdown of tracks is allowing their dual use by tractors and other heavy machinery. Martin Mathias restricts use of his tracks to livestock only.

Gateways, narrow tracks and the areas surrounding water troughs require special attention as they are often covered with sharp stones, rubble or gravel and are liable to become muddy in wet weather.

Wet farms are more prone to a breakdown of tracks but these are often where they are needed the most.

When Mr Mathias maintains his tracks he focuses on sections which are in use every day such as the area near the milking parlour.

“We need to maintain parts of the track that are most heavily used more frequently but our priority is to keep both the tracks and the cows’ feet dry.

“Lame cows are costly. If you can prevent the cost of just one cow then you are justifying the expense of maintenance.”