Five questions to ask before investing in calf housing

Youngstock housing lays the foundations for a calf’s lifetime productivity. Galebreaker’s animal welfare specialist Chloe Rodriguez explains why the right result starts with careful planning and informed investment decisions.

“Young calves need clean, dry air without draughts, alongside comfortable bedding, effective drainage and a layout that supports easy management for staff and calf health,” says Chloe.

“The building needs to work for the calf every day of the year.”

With investment budgets under pressure, asking the right questions from the outset can protect calf health and help farmers achieve the best value from their building.

Questions to ask before investing

Before committing to a new youngstock building or a major upgrade, Chloe advises farmers to ask these five questions to guide their investment decisions:

1. Where should I start before investing in calf housing?

Before investing in calf housing, the first step is to assess your current calf housing through visual checks and prioritise investing in the poorest-performing shed first.

“Signs can include condensation, cobwebs, a smell of ammonia, damp bedding or calves’ behaviour like consistently choosing one part of a pen,” she says.

“A smoke test can help show how air enters, travels through and leaves the shed, highlighting still or draughty areas.”

Chloe stresses that every farm is different.

“Part of my role is to assess sheds, it’s quite easy to walk into a calf building, look around and make notes, but the first important step is to talk to the farmer and understand how the building performs,” she says.

“The weather and the animals might behave a certain way on the day I visit, so you need to understand what happens throughout the year.”

These checks should guide the next steps and help show whether investment is needed.

2. Can I improve my existing building, or do I need a new calf shed?

The first decision is whether an existing building can be adapted successfully or whether a purpose-built calf shed is the better long-term option.

“A retrofit can make use of an available asset and may require less initial investment than building a new shed,” she says.

However, there are several things to consider in an existing building, including orientation, dimensions, roof design, drainage, openings and exposure to prevailing weather.

“Sometimes farmers look at housing and think they need to invest in fans, a ridge or side curtains. Actually, you can start with what you already have and make sure they work properly first,” she adds.

Although the investment will be larger for a new shed, a new building can give the farm more control from the start.

“Inlets, outlets, drainage, pen layout, access can all be planned for calves rather than adapted around the limitations of a general-purpose shed,” she says.

However, a new build still needs a farm-specific brief. Copying a design from another unit without considering local weather, stocking levels and working routines can build problems into the project.

3. How many calves will be housed in the building now and in the future?

Chloe says farmers should consider if there are plans for an increase in youngstock numbers and design the calving shed for the busiest point in the calving period rather than the average number of calves on farm.

Six pieces of data to have ready before making investments:

1. Peak calf numbers
2. Calving pattern
3. Age at weaning
4. Number and size of groups
5. Pen cleaning and resting time
6. Planned changes to herd size

4. How will fresh air enter, move through and leave the building?

If you are planning to use an existing shed, airflow needs to be considered.

Good ventilation means delivering fresh air throughout the building while removing heat, moisture, gases and stale air in a controlled way.

“Airflow is something we often skip over. Look at where fresh air can enter the shed and whether it can come in uniformly, because small gaps can create draughts,” says Chloe.

“Calves produce less heat than adult cattle, so the natural movement of warm air may not be enough to ventilate a building consistently.”

This can leave stale areas at calf level even when the shed feels airy to somebody standing in the passageway.

Testing is therefore an important part of planning. A smoke test can reveal where air is entering, how it moves across the pens and whether it has a clear route out of the building.

“We need to maximise natural ventilation before adding mechanical ventilation,” says Chloe.

The results can help determine whether natural ventilation is sufficient or whether the design needs controlled openings, additional outlets or a mechanical ventilation system.

“Airflow should be measured, not guessed. The aim is to supply fresh air to every pen at the right speed, without exposing resting calves to draughts,” she adds.

5. Will the building support calf health all year round?

A calf building must respond to cold, wet and windy weather as well as warm summer conditions.

“We need to make sure we are including multiple factors in the calf’s environment and not just temperature,” she says.

Other factors which can affect calves:

• Air speed
• Humidity
• Damp bedding
• Weather conditions
• Drainage and floor slopes

“Simple checks, such as kneeling on the bedding to test for moisture, can expose a problem that is not obvious from the passageway,” she explains.

Building components to consider:

• Protection from the weather but not blocking airflow
• Roof materials
• Roof
• Roof
• Shade
• Ventilation openings

“Adjustable or screens can give greater control than a permanently open side, helping the building respond as conditions change,” she says.

Precision not guesswork

Investing in calf housing can pay dividends for farmers, however, precision and careful planning are key.

“Taking time to assess the site and define your farm’s requirements reduces the risk of costly compromises later,” says Chloe.

“It also means your investments will work and your calves will thank you for it.”

Get in touch

Contact Chloe at crodriguez@galebreaker.com for personalised advice on improving your livestock housing and ventilation solutions or to find out more about her services.

Want to learn more about optimisng Calf housing? Watch Chloe’s presentation at the National Youngstock conference this year.