Cow tracks

Cow tracks enable your herd to move safely around your farm, as well as bringing several other advantages. Learn how to design and build an effective cow track that benefits both you and your cows.

Cow tracks are important for allowing your herd to move safely and comfortably around your farm. They also bring other benefits, such as enabling a longer grazing season.

Below are the points to think about when designing and building a cow track on your farm. We cover:

• How cows behave on cow tracks
• How to plan an effective track route and choose the right materials
• How to design, build, drain, fence and maintain a cow track
• How to budget for costs

Follow the links below to find out more about each aspect of installing a cow track.

Cow tracks bring a number of benefits to your farm and herd. Find out how installing a track can save you money, keep your cows healthy and minimise your environmental impact.

Installing a cow track that works for your herd means taking into account the way cows behave when they’re moving around in groups. Find out how to ensure your track keeps your cows moving happily.

When deciding on a route for your new cow track there are a number of things to keep in mind. Work through our checklist to make sure you’ve thought of everything.

When choosing materials for building a cow track, you have a number of options. Find out what to consider when deciding on the best material to use for your track and herd.

To give your new cow track the best chance of success, there are a few things to keep in mind when designing and building it. Work through our checklist of considerations to make sure you’re constructing an effective and long-lasting track.

We outline the telltale signs that may indicate problems with your track, and suggest how to maintain it to ensure it continues to aid cow flow and comfort.

Adequate drainage is critical to prolonging the life of your cow track. Here we look at how to ensure your track deals effectively with surface run-off.

What should you consider when working out the cost of your new cow track? Here we explain the different expenses to account for when calculating the cost of your chosen track design.

The final aspect of your cow track to consider is what fencing to use and how to ensure it doesn’t slow down cow flow. Here we look at what to bear in mind when fencing your cow track.