DAIRY CATTLE HOUSING AND
EQUIPMENTS
The trend is dairy farm structures is toward low-cost, loose housing and away from the expensive stall barn.
Loose housing and mechanized feeding
generally are coming to be associated with the
management of larger herds.
Dairy barns are usually one of four different types.
1.Free - stall housing: The stall should be well bedded with clean, dry material in a well ventilated barn. The walkway or alleyway behind the free stalls serves as a manure collection area and should be scraped free of manure at least once each day. Flush systems are used in many new facilities to clean alleyways in free-stall barns. These systems reduce labor associated with cleaning facilities. The cow should be fed in another area of the barn or outside in a feedlot.
2.Loose housing: In this system, the cow is allowed to rest in any area of the barn she chooses. The whole barn is bedded to make it clean and comfortable for the cow. Feeding is usually done in a separate area of the barn or in an outside feedlot.
3.Comfort stall-tie stall-stanchion barns: In this type of barn the cow has her own stall in which she is tied, and all of her feed is brought to her. The stall is bedded to make it more comfortable, and the manure collects in a gutter behind the cow. The manure is removed mechanically at least once each day. The main consideration in all types of housing is to keep the cow clean, dry, and free from drafts.
4.Open lots: Large dairy operations often use open lots to separate milking cows into production groups. These facilities are constructed to hold 80 to 200 cows per pen. These dirt lots are spacious, with concrete feeding and lane areas.
Straw-bedded areas near windbreaks are used during winter months to provide comfort. Feed areas are scraped or flushed daily. Manure is removed from the dirt areas on a regular basis. Open lots provide low-cost facilities in large operations.
The Stall Barn
This conventional type of structure is found in all parts of the World.
It was the generally accepted type of dairy cattle housing up until recent years.
This type of structure still has a place on certain farms, particularly in colder climates, where a purebred herd is to be displayed to advantage, or where the dairyman has a strong aversion to loose housing. When a good stall barn is already on the farm, it usually must be used as originally planned.
Sometimes, however, such a structure can be used to advantage as a milking or calf barn.
The construction and use of stall barns is related to winter temperature and relative humidity.
Stall barns usually are one-story construction. This structure generally has hay, concentrate, and bedding storage adjacent to where the cows are housed.
Barns require a conveniently located milk room and calving pens.
The stall dairy barn should be located on a site which has good drainage on all sides. The barn should be located so that prevailing winds will not carry objectionable odors to the dairy barn or odors from the dairy barn to the dwelling.
There is often considerable advantage in being able to drive a manure spreader or truck through the barn, which requires that the cows face out.
Stalls should be of liberal size in order to increase cow comfort and minimize udder injuries.
Barn must be provided with a well-planned ventilation system (prevent condensation on walls and ceiling). Barn ventilation is not a serious problem in climates where windows and doors can be open much of the time.
High temperatures reduce milk production.
Milk room should provide adequate space for a bulk tank, the necessary cleaning operations, and equipment storage.
Space for various types of dairy cattle should be provided on the basis of the following division of the herd:
Milking cows 50 per cent
Dry cows 5 to 8 per cent
Heifers 10 months to freshening 25 per cent Calves 6 weeks to 10 months 12 per cent Calves under 6 weeks 5 to 8 per cent
Loose Housing for Cold Climates
In this type of housing cows are kept in an open pasture or lot and allowed free access to shelter. They are milked in a separate or attached milking room. Cows handled under this system do not suffer in cold weather because they develop long coats and have shelter from the elements. They also are provided with some heat from the accumulated manure. Under good management cows remain clean. There is little trouble from stiff hocks, swollen knees, winged shoulders, and stepped-on teats.
Loose Housing for Warm Climates
The loafing area in warm climates can be a corral or lot provided with suitable shade. Such a structure should be covered with a wood or a light-reflecting metal such as aluminium. Here the loafing area also can be used as a feeding area, but the feeding facilities should be placed some distance from the shelter. The feeding facilities will depend on the type of feeding program being used.
