Tie stall

Typically, the barn has two rows of stalls, where the cow is tied up for resting, feeding, milking and watering.

[1] Deep litter barns were commonly used on mainland Europe until the late 19th century.

The mixture of bedding material (usually straw) and manure proved to be perfect fertilizer.

In addition, around 1870, people started to increasingly realize hygiene within the dairy industry was important.

Nowadays, the usage of stall dividers is common place, and in some countries it's even mandatory.

When too long, a chain might allow the cow to lie too far backwards in the manure gutter.

It was common practice to keep cows indoors from autumn to spring, and outdoors to graze during the summer.

In 2017, Stichting Kwaliteitszorg Onderhoud Melkinstallaties (KOM) indicated that approximately 6.5% of the farms still used tie stalls.

[9][10] In the alpine area it is very common to keep animals indoor in tie stalls from autumn to spring and move them to mountain pastures in the summer.

[1][10] However, in Switzerland it is required to give the cows outdoor exercise for at least 4 hours a day.