Good calf housing design is critical to their health and performance

HAVING good air flow in livestock buildings is key to better performance and better health of the animals.

This is particularly true with calf housing where these animals will be the replacements on dairy farms.

The pre- and post-weaning stage for a calf will determine its future health, growth and performance.

Trevor Alcorn, a CAFRE Dairying Development Advisor based in Omagh, said: “Traditionally on many farms, calves were housed in old or redundant buildings that served their purpose for a smaller number of calves for that time.

“With herd size increasing and less availability of labour, many dairy farms have renewed or are in the process of renewing calf housing.”

TREVOR advises that factors such as those below should be considered. Hygiene

– Good hygiene for young calves is essential as their immune system is not fully developed. Approximately 50 per cent of calf deaths are due to poor hygiene.

– Calves should have a dry bed at all times.

Increased moisture or dampness will have an adverse effect on calf health and performance.

Applying a 1-in-20 slope in strawbedded pens will help improve drainage. Always ensure calves are well bedded – apply the knee test – that is, if you can kneel on the pen floor, and not get wet knees, then there is sufficient bedding.

– Fresh air will help reduce the bugs and ammonia in the shed.

The inlet area should be two to four times greater than the outlet area to ensure air movement.

Yorkshire cladding and raised/ ventilated ridge are normally used.

Calves will not radiate enough heat to generate the stack effect, so consider mechanical ventilation to

Dry and good drainage

help create the correct air movement.

– A draught is when wind speed is greater than 0.5 meters/second below the height of the calf.

No draughts Warmth

– Calves will perform best in temperatures of 15 – 20C. Young calves, particularly under a month old, will feel the cold below 15C.

Ensure a draught-free environment. Consider use of calf jackets, heat lamps and quartz heaters for younger calves, those under a month old.

– Calves kept on an individual basis, in pens or hutches, must be allowed direct visual and tactile contact with other calves.

They must also have sufficient space to stand up, lie down, turn around, stretch and groom.

Group housing is recommended from three weeks of age – ideally calves of a similar age and drinking speed. This will help social development and growth rates.

The new calf housing development

Space requirements

at Greenmount Campus (pictured above) is based on an open-sized apex building complemented by a number of calf igloos.

This design allowed for six igloos, 40 individual calf pens, two automatic calf feeders with six feed stations, straw storage area, milk preparation room, storeroom and isolation area for sick calves.

The Greenmount design allows for unrestricted airflow, minimising disease resistance, giving calves a choice of an igloo or bedded pen, and individual pens which have solid sides/cover to reduce draughts.