Effects of two neck rail positions on heifer behavior and stall cleanliness in free stall barn

Stall usage and cleanliness are affected by stall design, which includes the neck rail positions for dairy heifers. A comparison was undertaken for two neck rail positions to determine the preferences for tropical dairy heifers in a free stall barn. Twenty-four crossbred Holstein pregnant heifers were divided into two groups, one using the current position and the second using the new position. The current position of the neck rail was placed at 160 cm from the curb at 124 cm height, whereas the new position was placed at 150 cm from the curb at 122 cm height. The comparison test was followed by a free choice test to assess preferences for one of the two positions. Dairy heifer activity in the stall was video recorded for 7 d consecutively for each period during the comparison test, and for 3 d for the preference test. Stall cleanliness was assessed once daily. The results demonstrated that dairy heifer behavior did not differ significantly between the two positions (p > 0.05). Dairy heifers did not show any clear preferences for either of the two neck rail positions. However, the rear area of stalls with the new neck rail position was cleaner than in those with the current neck rail position (p < 0.01). Therefore, the new position of the neck rail seemed suitable for tropical dairy heifers in terms of stall cleanliness.