What makes a good lying area for dairy cattle?

Dairy cattle have a natural need to lie down and a good rule to use is that they should lie down for at least half the day. With a longer lying time comes many advantages. Longer lying time means more time for the cattle to ruminate, have cleaner hooves and better hoof health. Cows with their own lying area also have more blood flow to the udder and therefore increased milk production. What makes a comfortable cow area? When evaluating the comfort of the lying area, there are several things t