Method:
One side of the cow is assessed. Cows are considered very dirty when the hind leg (including hock and rump) is covered with three-dimensional plaques of manure extending over more than 40 cm.
Hygiene Score & Classification:
Based on the 4-point scale described by Ruud et al. (2010), where 1 = clean and 4 = very dirty. Since the percentage of cows with a score of ‚very dirty‘ is requested, the following simplification is applied:
- Score 0 = clean, some dirt
- Score 1 = very dirty
