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Is your calf housing fit for purpose?
Calf housing can be a new build, an older shed or an adapted building. While designs may differ in structure, the fundamentals should remain the same to support calf health and development.
Rearers must provide the right environment from day one. Without it, calves will struggle to thrive.
Floor space
Floor space is often overlooked in calf accommodation but calves need room to grow. Adequate space reduces stress, lowers disease pressure and promotes comfort and positive social behavior.
Legal minimum requirements on floor space (AHDB guidance):
• Liveweight under 150kg: at least 1.5m² per calf
• At 150 – 200kg liveweight: 2m2 per calf
• Liveweight over 200kg: at least 3m2 per calf
Solid barriers between pens
Research (Lago et al., 2006) shows that creating a single solid barrier between calf pens reduced prevalence of respiratory disease.
The study recommended pens of at least 3m², with solid panels separating each pen from the next.
Throughput of calves
Some farms use individual pens for the first few days or weeks of life. This allows close monitoring while calves adjust to milk feeding.
Quite often however, limited availability of individual pens means they are not sufficient in number for the throughput of calves.
When pens are overused, pathogens build up and increase the risk of disease in the immunocompromised baby calf. Microbes constantly multiply when there is a continual source of nutrients and the environmental conditions, such as temperature, pH, and oxygen levels, exist for them to proliferate.
Having extra capacity allows pens to be properly cleaned and disinfected between occupancy.
Alternatively build individual pens within a group pen.
Group size
Smaller groups are healthier. Aim for around 10 calves per group.
Fewer calves mean less competition for feed, fewer disease outbreaks, and easier health checks.
Hygiene
Preferably, calf houses should be accessible to machinery for thorough cleaning to prevent disease outbreaks.
Failure to provide clean accommodation often leads to common issues in baby calves, i.e. Naval ill, joint ill, scours (Infection entry through mouth, nose & naval).
Ventilation
Good airflow removes stale air from the building, without creating draughts that may cause a chill. Stagnant air contaminated with dust, moisture, ammonia and viruses can cause pneumonia, so this must be removed and replaced with fresh air.
• Recommended air speed at calf level: 0.20 m/s
• Each calf should have a minimum of 7m3 of air space
Formula:
Depth (m) × width (m) × average roof height (m) = volume.
Volume ÷ 7m3 = maximum number of calves based on cubic air capacity
Baby calves should be housed in a separate air space from older animals to avoid the spread of disease to the more vulnerable younger calves.
Temperature
Calf housing can be colder than is desirable for baby calves that have a thermo-neutral zone of around 13-25°C in their first month of life.
Tall sheds aren’t the best for this purpose as they often tend to be colder. However by constructing a false roof or canopy, they can be modified to create a microclimate.
A canopy gives calves the option of lying beneath it to keep warm and dry.
Bedding is very important when it comes to keeping calves both comfortable and warm.
Straw is a great insulator and therefore more often than not the number one choice.
A nesting score system was developed at the University of Wisconsin to evaluate the adequacy of bedding:
Score 1 = calf legs are fully visible
Score 2 = calf legs partially visible
Score 3 = calf legs are obscured by bedding.
Aim for Score 3 when it comes to nesting to ensure calves are cosy and comfortable. Providing a light layer of fresh bedding daily also helps create a barrier between bugs and the calf. Research has shown calves in bedding with a nesting score of 3 have a much-reduced risk of respiratory disease compared to 1 and 2 (Lago et al., 2006).
Drainage
Moisture creates the perfect environment for disease-causing pathogens to survive and will also make calves feel cold.
A 5% slope in the floor will allow good drainage and therefore prevent pens from getting wet.
For a floor with no slope and therefore no opportunity for run-off, extra bedding is needed. Another option is to place woodchip, stones or slats under the straw bedding to create a barrier between the calves and moisture and ammonia.
A floor that slopes to the side allows the option of creating channels between the pens to capture the run-off and carry it away.
Take-home tips
• Provide a floor space of 2-3m2 per calf
• Erect a solid barrier between pens to reduce risk of respiratory disease
• Provide ventilation without causing a draught at calf level
• Aim for nesting Score 3 in deep dry bedding
• Establish a 5% floor slope to drain moisture
• Always clean pens between calves
• Have more pens than needed to allow for disease control
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