The Plywood Guide (And 6 Other Helpful Calf Barn Tips)

Whether you’re building a new calf barn or retrofitting an existing structure, there are measures that can be taken to ensure the best possible calf comfort, welfare, and health. Ontario-based animal housing consultant Harold House shares calf housing tips based on his many years of experience.
Whether you’re building a new calf barn or retrofitting an existing structure, there are measures that can be taken to ensure the best possible calf comfort, welfare, and health. Ontario-based animal housing consultant Harold House shares calf housing tips based on his many years of experience.
(Adobe Stock)

In either group or individual pens, preweaned dairy calves need 30-32 square feet of resting space – about the size of a sheet of plywood – according to animal housing consultant Harold House with Dairy Logix, a firm based in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.

On a recent episode of The Healthy Calf Podcast from the Veal Farmers of Ontario, House shared this and other insights based on his many years of experience as an agricultural engineer working with calf housing and ventilation systems.

He advised when applying the “plywood rule” to group pens, be sure that square footage is allowed in the actual pen where the calves reside, not the entire room. “It’s important consider that’s the bedded area; don’t include the scrape alley,” he said. “More [resting space] is always better, but that’s a good place to start.”

Whether you’re building a new calf barn or retrofitting an existing structure, he shared additional tips for excellent calf housing:

  • Choose your ventilation method carefully – Calves need 4 air exchanges per hour to maintain good air quality. That might be possible with natural ventilation like curtained sidewalls if a building is situated to capture prevailing winds. If not – which is often the case with existing buildings – mechanical ventilation might be the best option, even though it can be a bit more expensive to install and operate.

 

  • You probably need a PPV tube – Both naturally and mechanically ventilated barns can benefit from the additional ventilation support of a positive pressure ventilation (PPV) system that draws fresh air from the outside and distributes it evenly through the building via a hole system in the tube. House said PPV systems are especially helpful in the winter in cold climates because they help facilitate air movement without creating drafts.

 

  • Use heat sparingly – With adequate nutrition, bedding, air quality, and possibly calf coats, calves can do very well in cold barns that have little to no supplemental heat. House advised making heating decisions in the interest of the calves, not the comfort of their caretakers. He said an ideal temperature target for the interior of heated calf barns in the winter is 4-10°C [40-50°F]. “Use the heat as a ventilation tool to dry out the air so we can achieve our fresh air exchanges,” he stated.

 

  • Think at the calf level – Remember that calves reside at a lower level than the humans who care for them, especially when they are lying down. Get down to their level to check air quality. Use the “knee test” by kneeling in their bedding to see if is dry. Observe calves’ behavior – are they coughing or huddling together to avoid drafts?

 

  • Offer solid surfaces – House said calves prefer to rest against solid surfaces, which could explain why calves in group pens tend to rim the exterior walls when they’re lying down. He advised using solid partitions between individual pens, which provide the extra advantage of preventing drafts. In group pens, he suggested surrounding each pen with a walkway, so calves are not resting against exterior walls that could draw out a lot of their body heat in wintry weather.

 

  • Ask for help – When you work daily in the same building, you become accustomed to its odors, humidity level, and overall air quality. Inviting a third party to evaluate your barn can provide an outside assessment of those factors. House said many veterinarians are well-trained in ventilation and housing systems. Assistance from consultants and university Extension specialists might also be available. Another excellent source of information is The Dairyland Initiative website from the University of Wisconsin.

 

While he specializes in ventilation systems, House said raising healthy, thrifty calves depends on a combination of factors, that also include nutrition and other management factors. “Ventilation is just one piece of the puzzle,” he stated. “All the pieces have to fit together.”


For more on calf health, read:

 

Latest News

New Regulations Proposed by FDA for Animal Drug Labeling
New Regulations Proposed by FDA for Animal Drug Labeling

New rules would provide animal drug sponsors with predictable requirements for the labeling of prescription and over-the-counter new animal drugs, as well as new animal drugs for use in animal feeds

Calf-Raising Success is All in the Details
Calf-Raising Success is All in the Details

Raising a heifer from newborn up to 20-plus months until she becomes a productive milk cow is more important than ever. Dairy producers are increasingly looking to heifer growers to lend a helping hand with the process.

Who “Nose” When a Calf is Getting Sick?
Who “Nose” When a Calf is Getting Sick?

If you want to stay ahead of calf health and catch sickness in its earliest stage, University of Minnesota Graduate Student Abbigail Prins offers a handy detection tip.

7 Ways To Prioritize Employee Retention
7 Ways To Prioritize Employee Retention

Want to keep your valued team players? Learning how to avoid these frustrating and deal-breaking mistakes can help.

Aggie Serves As Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo Veterinarian For 21st Year
Aggie Serves As Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo Veterinarian For 21st Year

Professor at Texas A&M's Large Animal Teaching Hospital leads a team of volunteers in caring for the 18,000 livestock animals at the annual event.

DT_Dairy_Udder_Parlor_Teats
NMC Webinar Addresses Feeding Trace Minerals to Enhance Udder Health

By participating in this educational offer, you can gain a better understanding of the role trace minerals play in immunity and udder health.