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For more information, please contact the FeedLine on
01278 444829 or email info@molevalleyfarmers.com.

Housing Requirements

Individual Calves

Allow 1.1m2 of space for calves up to 4 weeks of age. Allow 1.8m2 for calves up to 8 weeks of age. No calf should be confined in an individual pen after 8 weeks of age. (unless directed by a veterinary surgeon). All pens should have perforated walls (except sick calves in isolation) allowing calves to have direct visual and tactile contact with other animals.

Grouped Calves

Allow 1.1m2 for calves up to 8 weeks of age. Allow 1.5m2 for calves up to 12 weeks of age.

Passage Width

Two rows of pens - one on each side of a central passage (1.2m). Single row of pens on one side of the passage (1m).

Trough Frontage

Feeding space for individually fed calves - 350mm per calf.

Natural Ventilation

A calf house should have a minimum cubic air capacity of 7m2 per calf. Inlet areas should be a minimum of 0.045m per calf and outlets a minimum of 0.004m per calf. The outlet must be situated 1.5 - 2.5m above the inlet. With both natural and fan ventilation, always ensure a minimum ventilation rate of 6 air changes per hour.

Temperature

Not critical, providing it is similar to outside conditions and calves are sheltered from draughts and bad weather.

Insulation

Not required in monopitch or pitched roof designs.

Heating

Localised electric heating may be required for sick calves. A quartz linear lamp is suitable for group reared calves. It heats the calf rather than the air and sick calves move naturally into heated zone.

Floors/Bedding

Beneath straw bedding provide concrete floors with a slope of at least 1 in 20. Passages should be domed and the floor slope in feed storage areas should be 1 in 40.

Water

Individually penned - minimum of one water bucket for each pen. Group penned - minimum of one water bowl for every 10 - 12 calves.

Lighting

Natural - provide 10% of the roof as translucent sheeting. Artificial - provide 100 - 200 lux at calf level to aid inspection of calves.


Contact us at MVF if you need more help >>

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