Lameness and hock scores indicate a herd\\\\\\\'s comfort level, as lesions on the hock are result of bedding quality including type of bedding and other resting area specifications. This current study was done to evaluate the effect of housing systems and some other management criteria on bovine hock scores. The study was conducted in a dairy farm with 2900 milking cows that kept in loose stall (LS), free stall with yard (FSY) and free stall without yard (FS) systems. Eighty cows in LS, 293 in FSY and 203 in FS housing systems were selected. Lateral hock (LH) and tuber calcis (TC) lesions scored in left rear limb of the cows based on a three point scale as one considered as normal and three as severely injured. Scoring was done by two independent observers and the average of values between two observers was used for further assessments. Observations between two observers were significantly different in LH scores one and two (Chi-Square, P<0.05). However the agreements recorded as 92.67%, 33.58 and 33.3 % in LH and 88.5%, 73.2% and 21.7 % in TC scores between two observers in scores one to three respectively. A significant difference recorded in TC scores (P<0.05) (1.23 ± 0.38, 1.46 ± 0.5 and 1.78 ± 0.52 in LS, FSY and FS groups respectively). Average of TC and LT scores in the first parity (LT: 1.14 ± 0.35, TC: 1.42 ± 0.52) was significantly lower than higher parities (LT: 1.22 ± 0.35, TC: 1.60 ± 0.53) (P<0.05). No significant difference recorded in different days in milk. Cows with average production of 25 liters and higher/day showed lower TC scores (1.51 ± 0.53) than cows with less than 25 lit/day production (1.68 ± 0.52) (P<0.05). Science free stall designs are the same in both free stall systems, higher score in FS system maybe a result of longer resting time in their stalls.

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