Non-Standard Technical Solutions in Polish Tie-Stall and Loose-Housing Barns: Farmer Initiatives to Improve the Comfort of Dairy Cattle

Research on barn technology, technical equipment, and related cattle welfare indicates a growing emphasis on assessing sources of animal comfort as the subject of scientific research. In practice, dairy cattle housing conditions are also assessed directly by farmers responsible for the animals' living conditions in barns; therefore, it is worthwhile to ask farmers about their approaches to improving the housing and comfort of dairy cattle in barns. The aim of this study was to evaluate non-standard technical solutions implemented by farmers in tie-stall and loose-housing barns; the research study design included visits to and observations at 40 dairy farms, selected purposively based on prior knowledge or expectations regarding equipping barns with non-standard technical solutions. An index of non-standard solutions in livestock buildings (S_ns) was proposed based on the ratio of the number of non-standard solutions in a barn to usable floor space in the barn. The S_ns index was higher in tie-stall barns (0.0012-0.0192) than in loose-housing barns (0.00-0.0023). Non-standard technical solutions implemented by farmers were most common in barns with tie-stall housing systems, especially in feeding areas. Knowledge about non-standard technical solutions in barns can be used in practice by various stakeholders as inspiration for barn retrofits, training materials for advisors, or a starting point for targeted welfare research.