Flooring & Alley Systems

What Are Flooring & Alley Systems?

Flooring and alley systems include the surfaces cows walk on—concrete (grooved, textured, or plain), rubber flooring, slatted floors—plus the equipment that keeps those surfaces clean, including alley scrapers, flush systems, and vacuum systems.

Why Flooring Matters

Cows spend hours each day walking, standing at the feedbunk, and moving through alleys. Floor surface affects foot health, walking confidence, heat expression, and injury risk. Wet, slippery, or abrasive floors cause lameness and reduce cow activity.

Key Considerations

• Traction: Cows need secure footing to move confidently
• Abrasion: Too rough wears hooves; too smooth causes slipping
• Cushioning: Softer surfaces reduce leg and foot stress
• Drainage: Floors should not hold standing water
• Cleanability: Surfaces must allow effective manure removal

Flooring Options

Grooved Concrete

Most common flooring. Grooves provide traction. Must be properly finished—too smooth is slippery, too rough is abrasive.

Rubber Flooring

Mats or interlocking tiles over concrete. Provides cushioning and traction. Popular in high-traffic areas like crossovers and feeding areas.

Slatted Floors

Openings allow manure to fall through to storage below. Eliminates scraping but requires careful gap sizing for cow comfort.

Alley Cleaning Systems

Mechanical Scrapers

Cable or chain-driven blades that push manure to collection points. Most common system in freestall barns.

Flush Systems

Water flushes manure down sloped alleys. Cleans well but requires water and creates more liquid manure.

Vacuum Systems

Vacuum removes manure slurry. Common with slatted floors.

Robotic Scrapers

Autonomous units that clean alleys continuously. Reduce manure accumulation between conventional scraper cycles.

Do You Need to Address Flooring?

Consider improvements if:

• Lameness rates are elevated
• Cows are reluctant to move or mount
• Floors are excessively slippery or worn
• Alleys are consistently dirty between scrapings
• You're building or renovating

Cost Considerations

Rubber flooring costs $8-15 per square foot installed. Grooving existing concrete costs $0.50-1.50 per square foot. Scraper systems cost $10,000-30,000+ depending on barn size. Robotic scrapers cost $15,000-25,000 per unit. Improved flooring often pays for itself through reduced lameness and better cow movement.