Cattle housing

• Understand the relative importance of environmental factors on animal physiology. • • Understand the relative importance of environmental factors on disease risk and pathogen survival including moisture, air quality, air speed, temperature or mechanical impact. • • Be able to decide which design aspect of a building or system is contributing to failure to manage the key environmental variables. • Be able to identify important reference values for housing designs and layout details. • Understand the principles of building design and use systems of physical and animal measures as key performance indicators . • Be able to compile a housing farm audit questionnaire

what categories of housed cattle do we have?

dairy calves

fattening cattle

adult dairy cattle

adult beef suckler cows

why are growing adult cattle housed in the colder wetter months?

Housing up to 6 months of the year due to: • Poor quality and growth of grass in winter – need for supplementary feeding • Damage to pastures (poaching) in winter

the 5 freedoms in relation to housed animals

1. Freedom from hunger and thirst

2. Freedom from discomfort

3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease

4. Freedom to express normal behaviours

5. Freedom from fear and distress

Consider:

Animal signs which may indicate poor/good housing design

Physical measures in housing design

what are the dairy cow time budgets?

housing design

Consider:

• Airspace – cubic metres of air/animal

• Stocking density – square metres /animal

• Ventilation – exchanges of air/hour

• Feeding – access to deliver and to eat

• Water – access and quality

• Bedding – amount and type

• Flooring – type and maintenance

• Drainage – slopes and drains

• Ability to clean and disinfect – hygiene and dirty cows

• Fittings – type and condition

• Movement and restraint of housed animals – access and design

• Waste production/disposal – slurry removal and disposal

e.g. Adult dairy cow

Urine production – 50mL/kg/day (600kg cow = 30L/day)

Faeces - Dairy cow 30-50Kg/day

legislations and codes of welfare

audits

checklists and are used to check for good/bad housing design in commercial assurance schemes

ventilation - replacement of air in a given a given space

Appropriate ventilation rates results in:

Removal of heat

Reduction in humidity

Removal and reduction of carbon dioxide, ammonia concentrations

Removal/reduction of airborne organisms (reduction of atmospheric load)

Common mistake is to reduce ventilation rates in cold weather to retain heat.

Ventilation rates must be maintained for the reasons above.

ventilation - clearance of organisms and atmospheric load

Stocking density determines 90% of bacterial and viral load.

Atmospheric bacterial and viral load are reduced by:

Sedimentation (Gravitates to the ground)

Ventilation (very important)

Death of organism (low levels of humidity)

Space allowance more important than ventilation in decreasing airborne bacterial/viral

density.

A tenfold increase in ventilation rate is only 2/3 as effective as doubling the airspace.

relative humidity

Keep below 80% if possible (not always possible in UK winter) as:

1. high humidity increases pathogen/bacterial survival ( e.g. increasing from 60% to 90% increases atmospheric load x10)

2. nasal turbinate's less effective in high humidity at clearance of small particles in upper airways

what does poor ventilation result in

an increased susceptibility and incidence of respiratory disease (pneumonia) with welfare implications and loss of financial return due to poor growth rates

what are the patterns of air flow through a well-designed building?

Hot air rises and fresh air is drawn into the building

Note the open ridge and the gaps under the eaves of the roof

typical guidelines for airspace in cubic metres and the ridge opening

what is the range of thermal comfort of different classes of cattle

what is the relationship between temperature and humidity and heat stress in cattle

measuring stocking density, ventilation and humidity

Airflow and ventilation – smoke bomb

Stocking density and airspace -tape measure or laser pointer

Relative humidity - Dry/wet thermometer

what is calf housing like

Sometimes farms use adapted unused building to house calves

Ventilation and drainage are often sub-optimal

Calves may be kept singly or in groups

individual pens v groups

Individual –

Must be within sight, sound and can touch other calves and under 8 weeks old

Hutches (outside)

Individual pens (inside)

Advantages

Can monitor food and water intake

Minimise spread of diseases

Disadvantages

Ability to express normal behaviours limited

Grouped calves –

Converse of the above

typical design of a calf house (double pitched)

Open ridge (ventilation)

Slatted boards (Ventilation)

Perspex skylight for increasing light

Straw bales kennels for insulation

1/20 fall for drainage

Feed passage for access between the rows

how does double pitched building illustrating air flow in a calf house

how does mono-pitch building distributes airflow

what is this?

poly-tunnel calf house with ventilation fans blowing air down the pipe in the centre to provide ventilation

some horrible diagram on calf housing

home-made pens for calves

what are straw yards used for?

• Dairy cattle

Winter housing

• Fattening cattle

Winter housing or intensive rearing

• Suckler cows

Winter housing

strawed area + loafing area + feeding area

• Appropriate stocking density

• Sufficient air space

• Good ventilation

• Good feed access

• Appropriate water supply

• Appropriate bedding

• Appropriate flooring

what is this

examples of stocking density reference tables for different weights and different classes of cattle 

what is this showing

guidelines for bedding straw requirements (based on 25 week bedding period, except where stated otherwise)

what are feeding fences?

found in feeding fences

feeding fences with barriers

dairy free stall layouts- cubicles

some barriers enable the cow to be ‘locked’ in place with self locking yokes as the cow can the restrained

how do we ensure good feed access

• Feed barriers to allow animals to eat unhindered by other cattle.

• Also prevents food tossing which may put the feed beyond reach.

• All cattle to need to be able to access the feed barrier at the same time.

what are the water requirements

must be met and there are standards regarding the supply and trough space e.g. dairy cows require 70cm of water trough spare per cow

slats

Some growing cattle can be kept on slats with underground waste disposal systems

This is a large saving as no bedding is used

design of concrete floors important - slipping risk

clean cattle - dirty cattle are a sign of poor bedding and poor bedding management

Straw bedding needs regularly topping up with fresh bedding

Abattoirs may reject dirty cows

Clean cows reduce the risk of meat contaminated with diseases such as:

• E.coli O157,

• Campylobacter

• Salmonella

Clean cows reduce the risk of getting mastitis.

what is the cleanliness scorecard in an audit

what are dairy cow cubicle systems

• Cubical systems are commonly used for housing adult dairy cattle specially in areas where straw is expensive and in short supply.

• A cubicle is an independent protected space for an individual.

what are the important factors to consider in cubicles

• Cubicle design and bedding (Straw, saw dust, rubber mats)

• Cubicle numbers

• Lay out of the cubicles and escape routes

• Flooring – none slip

• Passage way - slurry management

    Scrappers-manual/automatic

what good cubicle features?

Cubicles should be as comfortable as possible to encourage lying time.

Size 600kg cow 2.2m long, 1,2m wide

Provide enough lunge space

cubicles - design features

• Provide individual space – without cross-lying

• Be able to get in and out easily without injury

• Comfort-increase lying times

• Clean and dry

• Maximise the use of expensive housing

what is this image showing

cubicles design features

Partitions

providing maximum space with minimal interference

Lunge spaces

to front (and side?)

Head rail

pushes cow back so defaecate/urinate in passageway

Slope

cows like to lie uphill (slope10-13cm front to rear)

Brisket board

avoids cow getting too close to wall (preserves lunge space)

Kerb

Not too high, cows do not like backing off a high kerb

Surface

Comfortable, avoids injury (sand, mattress plus bedding)

what are the lying times and cubicle beds

did you know there is a higher incidence of lameness in animals housed in cubicles than in straw yards

Lying times and cubicle beds

Ideally cows should lie down for 12 - 14 hours daily

Type of cubicle bed Daily lying time (Hours)

Bare concrete 7.2

Chopped straw on concrete 14.1

Cow cushion 14.4

what is the most preferred stall base for cows?

rubber

what is poor cubicle design?

Walking and standing in slurry

softens the horn of the hoof

Less time spent lying down

reduced rumination

More time standing

Foot anoxia – blood flow slow

Physical trauma

damaged hocks and carpi.

Physical damage and impact forces feet

Narrow passage ways

sharp turns

what are cow comfort indicators

how do cubicles and straw yards compare?

lighting and ventilation dairy cattle housing

what is also considered?

keeping vermin out

birds, rodents, badgers

questions to test your understanding of cattle housing design

1. What type of winter housing are used for adult cattle?

2. What are the main environmental requirements?

3. How can housing design facilitate the 5 freedoms in cattle?

4. Indicate the key design features of cattle cubicles and the purpose of each component?

5. What can cow signs indicate about the housing design?

6. Compare and contrast straw yards and cubicles

7. What are the key housing design features when housing calves prior to weaning?

8. Explain what is meant by stocking density and air space

9. Why is slurry management important?

10. What do you understand by cow comfort and why is it important?