Table 4 Factors associated with the winter housing on 398 Irish dairy farms, and associations with bulk tank SCS (back transformed SCC*10³/ml in parentheses) after controlling for region

Cubicle bedding

Sawdust and other

11

12.40 (244)

0.049

Shredded paper

4

12.37 (236)

0.082

Straw

4

12.55 (283)

0.076

Lime

17

12.62 (301)

0.038

Mats and lime

34

12.40 (242)

0.027

Mats

19

12.51 (271)

0.035

None

11

12.61 (301)

0.049

Cubicles Cleaned

Twice a day

37

12.43 (250)

0.027

Once a day

46

12.49 (265)

0.023

Every second day

7

12.65 (313)

0.063

Weekly

5

12.60 (297)

0.073

Never

5

12.61 (299)

0.070

How is the Passage cleaned?

Mechanical scrapers

55

12.46 (257)

0.022

Tractor

23

12.59 (294)

0.033

Hand scraper

6

12.57 (288)

0.069

Slats

11

12.49 (265)

0.050

Mixture

5

12.31 (221)

0.068

How often is the passage cleaned?

Twice a day

16

12.51 (271)

0.043

Once a day

24

12.61 (301)

0.035

Every 1/2 hrs

11

12.44 (253)

0.051

Every 3/4 hrs

32

12.39 (240)

0.030

Every 5/7 hrs

12

12.49 (267)

0.048

Twice a week

4

12.62 (303)

0.088

Never

1

12.69 (324)

0.176

Calving area

Calving box

85

12.48 (264)

0.018

Cubicles house

4

12.55 (283)

0.084

Paddock

4

12.60 (307)

0.084

Stalls

3

12.53 (269)

0.091

Other

4

12.45 (256)

0.076

How often is the calvingarea cleaned?

Daily

23

12.43 (251)

0.034

Twice a week

17

12.63 (305)

0.039

Weekly

11

12.38 (237)

0.047

Three times a season

15

12.45 (256)

0.041

Twice a season

24

12.48 (264)

0.032

End of season

10

12.53 (276)

0.050