Production of Meat Animals (95412)

1. Production of Meat Animals(95412) Topic 8: beef cattle housing and equipment Dr Jihad Abdallah Department of Animal Production An-najah National University

2. Cow/calf enterprises usually require less financial investment in facilities than feeder operations. • Feeder cattle facilities require more confinement pens, more automation of feeding systems and less need for roofed shelters. • Each type of facility must be designed accordingly. • Several different designs for housing and handling facilities are suitable for beef operations taking into consideration the weather, topography, and the availability of feed and pasture

3. Some Recommended Structures for Beef Cattle Housing Open sided, single slope roof shed • This type of housing is most typical of structures used and is suitable for all cattle on the farm. • This is the least expensive of new structures and very easy to build. • Open sheds should be in the direction of winter sun and block the prevailing winds. • A minimum depth of shed to provide acceptable wind protection is 24 ft. (7.2 m). This requires one row of centre poles. A 36 ft. (10.8 m) deep shed requires two rows of centre poles

4. Single Slope Cattle Shed

5. Open sided, clear span pole shed Open front, clear span pole shed

7. Advantages: • depth of shed is not restricted by pole spacing • clear span interior facilitates manure removal • easily partitioned for different groups of animals and pens • more practical for smaller herd sizes than the open end shed Disadvantages: • in open unprotected areas this style of shed provides marginal wind protection inside the shed • rain and snow slide to the front of the shed creating muddy conditions in a high cattle use area.

8. Open End, Clear Span Pole Shed • The end wall is left open rather than the side wall. Construction is virtually identical to that of the open side, clear span shed. Doors are optional. Open End Pole Shed

9. Advantages: • provides the best wind protection when located in open, unprotected areas • rain and snow slide to the sides leaving the open end drier • clear span interior facilitates manure removal • best for larger groups of animals Disadvantages: • not easily partitioned for different groups of animals and pens • needs a minimum truss width of 36 ft. (10.8 m) to allow proper access • tends to be dark at the back end

10. Former Dairy Barns • Today there are many unused dairy barns due to dairy farmers either retiring or dispersing. • The renovation costs are usually less than the cost of a new structure. • Lighting and ventilation are usually adequate in former dairy facilities for use by beef cattle. • Manure removal is a major piece of the renovation plan. • Free stall barns are the ideal dairy facility for use with beef cattle since the manure handling is already set-up.

12. Hoop Barns • One of the least expensive structures for housing cattle is the hoop barn. • Hoop barns are similar to greenhouses. • One disadvantage is the heat and ventilation problems during the summer months

13. Bedded house • Such houses consist of bedded pen(s) with the total living area covered in bedding material, which normally is straw. • The facilities are roofed but are sometimes referred to as “straw bedded yards”. • Cattle should be housed in groups of not more than 20 to aid management. • This type of house requires 4 to 6 kg of straw per animal per day which equates to approximately 1 (metric) ton straw per animal for a winter housing period

16. Bedded house with slopedconcrete floor • This housing system involves the frequent removal of manure but daily straw requirements can be as low as 1 to 3 kg per animal per day. • The floor is laid with a slope of 5 to 10 % • The system operates on the principal that the movement of the animals will transfer the manure down the slope where it is removed by scraping

18. Slatted floor house • The majority of such systems use concrete slatted floors with the liquid manure or slurry falling through the floor perforations into a below ground concrete tank. • The depth of the tank is such so as to provide adequate waste storage capacity for the housing period and typically about 2,5 m.

22. Housing for Calves from Birth to 6 Month

23. Individual Housing 1. Calf hutches: Generally, the size of the hutches is as follows : length 2.0 m, width 1.5 m (+/- 3 m²), height 1.5 m. In addition, the hutches have an outdoor run of more than 2.0 m2 .

24. 2. Individual calves pen: It is recommended to put the calves into individual pens until weaning.

25. Group housing 1. Collective hutches: are designed typically to house a group of between 2 and 6 calves. The hutches are made of synthetic materials or wood and have, for example, for 4 calves an indoor area of 10 m2 and an outdoor run of 10 to 15 m2.

26. 2. Straw yard with bedded lying area • These facilities will be extremely suitable for young animals if sufficient straw and proper ventilation is provided. • If the calves stay there for several months it will absolutely be necessary that a passage on slippery free concrete is provided that their hooves remain strong and wear out regularly. • Moreover the floor of this passage should be quite rough to prevent slipping.

28. Sources • Government of Saskatchewan Agriculture. “Beef Cattle Housing and Feedlot Facilities”. 2008. www.agriculture.gov.sk.ca/Beef_Cattle_Housing • Beef cattle housing and equipment. CDLE Pub. 09-48, UMass Extension Crops, Dairy, Livestock, Equine – www.umass.edu/cdl • Design Recommendations of Beef Cattle Housing Report of the CIGR Section II, Working Group No. 14, Cattle Housing, 2nd edition, September 2004, East Lansing, Michigan, US.