Use of Impact Testing to Assess the Softness of Bedding Materials

Bedding materials are very important for cows in freestalls, because they can provide a high degree of comfort to these cows. But techniques of assessing their surface comfort on in the field still remain rather subjective. The objective of this study was to assess softness of bedding materials for use in cow free-stall bases in China. The Clegg Impact values of rubber-coated slatted floor, Solid wood floor and concrete floor are measured in order to compare with the value of pasture. The softest bedding material was the wood (40.43CIV/L) followed by rubber-coated slatted floor (64.23 CIV/L). The hardest material was the concrete floor (132.21 CIV/L).Clegg Impact Tester with a 1-kg hammer was used in this study. The impact of the hammer on bedding materials results in a digital display based on peak deceleration of the hammer’s impact with the free-stall base in tens of gravities (CIV/L). The CIV/L value, as measured by the Clegg Impact hammer, is based on peak deceleration of the 1-kg hammer’s impact with the surface, from a height of 30 cm. The reasonable suggestions of bedding materials used as the free-stall bases are recommended for the farmer in China.