Exposure to concrete must be kept to a minimum daily. Actually, it should cover not only cows, but the comfort of calves, heifers and dairy goats as well for optimizing farm income. To encourage use of free stalls, farmers must make sure cows are comfortable and that it's easy for the cows to lie down and get up again. Cows let the farmer know when the free stalls are uncomfortable, either because of faulty design or negligent labor. If your pants are dirty and your knees hurt, then you know how cows feel and how their hocks, knees and udders hurt.
Cows like to lie down facing uphill slightly.
Sand bedding should be at least 6 inch deep, with the same degree of slope. The dimensions for the free stall recommended by the Michigan bulletin are 44 to 48 inches wide for mature Holstein cows. A brisket board and neck rail should be 66 inches from the curb and the neck rail should be 40 inch above the bed. For other species and sizes of animals, the bulletin gives appropriate dimensions. If loops and neck rails are mounted too low, especially after new levels of bedding, this causes problems for cows getting up easily.