Floor Level
It is important to get the right floor level. The dirt should be leveled off, cutting it down where too high, and filling in where too low, wetting and tamping until a hard surface is obtained. It should be noted that the cleaning, or litter alley floor, both where the cows face in and out, is on a level with the top of the door sill, or 6 in. above grade. The established ground floor level will, therefore, be 6 in. below the door sill if the floor is 6 in. in thickness.
By referring to pages 140 and 141, showing sectional diagrams of dairy floors, the various arrangements, measurements, and levels may be noted.
Curb
The curb is the first part of the floor to be built. Make it 6 in. high above the cow platform, and 6 in. wide.
If STAR Curb Clamps are not used, the stalls should be assembled, set up, and plumbed true and straight in the curb form before the curb is poured.
Drainage Grade
The litter and cleaning alleys should have a slight pitch toward the gutter.
Where a high feed alley floor is used the floor should pitch toward the manger.
There should also be a certain amount of slope in the length of manger and gutter.
These pitches in most cases being slight, the variation in grade can be made in the level of the dirt floor or by varying the thickness of the concrete floor.
Cow Bed
After the manger, the cow bed or platform is put in.
This should be about 4 ft. 6 in. long for Jerseys, Guernseys and Ayershires. A platform 4 ft. 8 in. to 4 ft. 10 in. is recommended for Holsteins and Durhams.
Twenty inches back from the curb, an elevation of 3/4 in. should be put in to hold the bedding in place and provide
a foothold for the cow when rising. From this point, the cow bed should slope toward the gutter gradually 1/4 in. to the foot.