Bedded Pack Housing

Group pens with bedded-pack resting areas can provide a flexible option for housing replacement heifers since the number and size of heifers housed in each group can be adjusted as needed as long as the feedbunk dimensions are suitable for the heifer size. Bedding must be added regularly to keep growing calves and heifers clean and dry, reducing energy needs to maintain body heat, and decreasing humidity and airborne bacterial loads that contribute to increased risk of respiratory disease. Bedded pack barns need to be designed for easy removal of soiled bedding and manure, typically done with a skid loader and gate system to hold calves in either the feed alley or bedded area during cleaning.

The following table provides the minimum space recommendations for heifers housed on a bedded pack.