Dairy Cows and Concrete Floors
Concrete floors that are roughened in an attempt to preclude slippage can wear hooves excessively, and smooth floors do not offer sufficient traction. There is a fine line between a concrete floor surface that is too rough and causes injury due to abrasion and one that is too smooth and causes injury because of inadequate footing. Experience has shown that the finish on a floor is often the biggest mistake made during barn construction.
Desirable characteristics of a grooved concrete floor include:
Flat surface between grooves,
Smooth surface between grooves,
Smooth groove edges with a right angle between the groove and the floor surface, and
Proper groove width, spacing, and depth.