Proper housing and care of dairy cows is extremely important for high milk production, good animal health, the economic aspect of the dairy farm and the success of the breeder. Although tie-stall housing system for cattle is still predominant in Slovenia, breeders are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of adequate barn construction for animal production. Barns where the living environment of the animals is restricted must be adapted as much as possible to the needs of the animals. Much attention must be paid to each functional area of a barn to ensure good health and maximum comfort for dairy cattle. The aim of this work was to present a possible barn construction that contributes to better welfare and health of the dairy cattle, as well as the factors that influence the welfare and health of the animals. In designing the barn construction, we focused on the most important functional areas of the barn, including rest areas, feed alley and drinking areas, manure alleys, and exits that have a positive effect on the animals. Some of the factors that affect the welfare and health of dairy cows are their cleanliness and body condition, skin changes such as lesions, hairless parts of the skin and swellings, locomotion, lameness and hoof condition. In the second part of this thesis, we presented the set-up of a dairy cows barn on three family farms where we conducted two assessments using the Welfare Quality® protocol. We found that the biggest differences in dairy cows are related to the frequency of skin lesions and lameness. During the summer, the best results can be attributed to the compost bedded pack barn, as the animals' lying areas are not restricted by fences and all surfaces are dry due to the higher temperatures.
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