How CEVEC reduces calf-rearing workloads

Youngstock are often the most labour-intensive part of the system. If you ask any dairy or beef producer what keeps them awake at night and ‘labour’ is likely to be high on the list – finding it, training it and keeping it.

One of the most striking outcomes of the two-year CEVEC project (Cost Effective Ventilated Environment for Calves) has been just how much time it’s possible to save when the building and management are designed with labour efficiency in mind.

Introducing smarter calf rearing routines

At High Skeog Farm where the purpose built CEVEC shed was constructed, the baseline system for comparison was a well-run but conventional set-up: individual outdoor calf hutches, hand-mixed milk, manual feeding and fragmented routines.

CEVEC replaced that with:

• A purpose-built, drive-through calf shed with four large group pens.
• Centralised kitchen and autofeeder, preparing and delivering milk automatically according to individual feeding curves.
• Smartbell WellCalf ear tags, providing behavioural and temperature data to an app and generating health alerts.
• Dry feed bin with automated auger, topping up troughs based on usage.
• Automated control of curtains, VentTube, and lights via the iSeries controller.

Calves are still seen, handled and cared for – but a lot of the repetitive bucket work and ‘babysitting the building’ simply disappears.

How much time does optimised calf housing really save?

During the trial, our partners in the research project, SRUC, carried out time-and-motion studies, logging all calf-related tasks in both systems. The results were remarkably consistent:

• Hutches: around 15 minutes 40 seconds of labour per calf per day
• CEVEC building: around 3 minutes 30 seconds per calf per day

On a 60–65 calf group, that equates to roughly:

• 12 hours of labour per day for hutches
• Versus 2.5 – 3.5 hours per day in CEVEC

In other words, the CEVEC system cut youngstock labour demand by more than 80%.

At a benchmark labour rate of £12.50/hour, the annual saving on a 4-pen, 65-calf building worked out at over £60,000 compared to the previous hutch system.

Where do time savings come from?

The labour reduction is the result of dozens of small design decisions:

• All-in/all-out penning with drive-in access – pens can be mucked out and re-bedded mechanically from outside, with internal gates designed to swing clear for machinery.
• Central feed preparation – the autofeeder mixes milk to consistent temperature and solids, removing the need to batch-mix and carry buckets.
• Under-one-roof working – instead of moving between scattered hutches, staff can visually scan the whole group from front and back walkways.
• Automated environment control – no more manual curtain adjustments or constant worry about vents and heaters; the system maintains target conditions and issues alerts when thresholds are exceeded.

Together, these changes transform calf rearing from a high-frequency, low-skill chore into a lower-frequency, higher-value livestock management role.

Better use of skilled people

For Ross Vance at High Skeog, the benefit isn’t just fewer hours – it’s flexibility. As he explains:

“CEVEC hasn’t just saved us time – it’s made our management of our labour much more flexible. By being able to check on the calves remotely, unless there is anything urgent, we can focus on milking first, then come back to the calves later with the same team.”

Instead of needing a dedicated calf person on a tight schedule, the same staff can cover milking, youngstock checks and other tasks, guided by automatic feeder intake reports and Smartbell health alerts.

Does automation distance you from calves?

A common concern with automation is that it might reduce human contact and observation. The CEVEC data suggests the opposite.

Because routine jobs are quicker:

• Staff have more time to observe calves properly
• Health issues are often spotted sooner, backed up by data from feeders and ear tags, leading to earlier and more proactive treatment

Treatment records from the trial show more interventions recorded in CEVEC than hutches because the system made it easier to detect and act on emerging issues.

Labour, welfare and ROI – all linked

The CEVEC building highlights how labour efficiency, welfare and profitability sit on the same side of the equation:

• Less time spent on repetitive tasks reduces labour cost and frees up scarce skilled staff
• More time and better data for observation improves welfare and reduces long-term health costs
• Healthier, faster-growing calves support earlier calving and better lifetime performance, feeding into the ROI and sustainability gains quantified elsewhere in the project

For farms facing labour shortages or simply wanting to use people’s time better, CEVEC offers a proven model: design the environment and workflow first, then let automation take the strain so stockpeople can focus on what they do best – stockmanship.

Speak to Galebreaker’s Animal Welfare Specialist for more information. Call 01531 637900.

Read more in the CEVEC series of blogs:

• Improved health and welfare
• Design and ROI
• Better Sustainability

Don’t let housing be the missing piece in your calf rearing system. Watch the Project Video here.