Individual Pen Calf Barns

Additional Key Features for Calf Barns with Individual Pens

1. Orient the barn east to west to avoid extreme afternoon sun exposure in the pen
2. Barns should be narrow with one or two rows of pens and limited to a width of 36 feet (11 m) or less
3. Separate the pens from the outer wall by at least 3 feet (0.9 m) to avoid cold air dropping directly into the pen from over the curtain
4. Pens should have an open mesh front and a rear panel that is solid to about 2 feet high (61 cm) with mesh above with solid panels between every other calf

East-West Orientation

In large group pens, calves have to ability to seek out shaded areas within the pen during mid- to late afternoon while a calf confined to an individual pen near an outside wall may be unable to seek shade when the sun is relatively low in the afternoon sky. Therefore, it is important to orient barns with individual calf pens east to west.

Narrow Barns with 1 to 2 Rows of Pens

The overall rule is the narrower the barn, the better. Narrow barns are easier to ventilate by wind forces in warm weather. Our experience with supplemental positive pressure tube systems is that when barns get wider than 40 feet (12.2 m), owners frequently want to install additional mechanical ventilation for the summer.

In addition, it is easier to limit the spread of disease from calf to calf in a long, narrow barn. In single-row calf barns, new calves are placed in freshly cleaned pens, and there is usually a space between them and the oldest calves in the barn. In barns with two rows of pens, both rows can be filled simultaneously and parallel, similar to a single-row calf barn, leaving the new arrivals in freshly cleaned pens with a few empties between them and the oldest calves about to be weaned. In barns with three or more rows, the situation is almost always present where vulnerable young calves are directly across a service alley from older calves that are potentially shedding pathogens.

The optimal situation is a series of barns that allow for “all-in, all-out” management systems, as discussed in the general barn section above.

Separate Pens from the Outside Wall

During periods of time when the temperature inside of the barn is warmer than the outside air temperature, air entering through the eaves will fall at relatively high “draft” speeds into calf pens adjacent to the outside walls. Because of this phenomenon, it has been a common practice in cold climates to place a cover over individual calf pens during the winter.

However, our field study showed that pen covers were associated with tremendous increases in total airborne bacteria counts, increasing the risk for respiratory disease. While a cover can eliminate the draft, it also ensures that the air quality in the pen will become very poor. Neither the draft nor the cover is desirable.

The optimal solution is to separate the pen from the outside wall with a walkway about 3 feet (0.9 m) wide. There should be a solid vertical rear panel about 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 cm) high between the calf and the outside walkway. This allows cold air to fall over the curtain and into the walkway without chilling the calf. If the outside walkway is impossible to install, an acceptable solution is to close the eave on the windward side of the barn and install a well-designed positive pressure tube system that delivers four air changes per hour on a non-stop basis. The pens will be ventilated sufficiently by the tube system, and the curtain sidewall can be opened slightly for natural ventilation when the extreme conditions have passed.

Pen Design

In the field trial reported in Lago et al., the prevalence of respiratory disease was reduced with lower airborne bacterial counts in the pens when pens had a greater depth of loose bedding and there was a solid panel between each calf. However, the solid panels between each calf tended to increase the airborne bacterial counts, a confounding finding¹. Because of this finding, we have recommended solid panels between each calf, or every other calf, and the use of positive pressure tube systems to deliver fresh air between the solid panels.

The optimal individual calf pen has solid side panels with open mesh to the front and rear. The rear panel can have an open mesh on the upper portion with a solid base panel to a height of 2 feet (61 cm) as it provides a solid barrier that the calf may nest against during cold weather.

With the open front and rear panels, there is greater opportunity for breezes to move through the pens in warm weather when the sidewall curtains are open. Solid panels on all sides of a calf pen create extreme impediments to natural ventilation. We have done investigative work in open-sided calf barns during the summer where solid panels on all sides of the calf pen prevented prevailing winds from ventilating the pen because wind would pass over the top of the pen and carry away the air discharged from the positive pressure tube system before it could reach into the pen.

“Ideal Wisconsin Calf Pen” design for individually housed nursing calves

Calf pens with two solid dividers, open front and back panels, and deep straw beds. There are separate openings in the front panel for the calves to have easy access to the milk/water bucket and the grain bucket.

Side panels reduce calf-to-calf contact within the pen and between buckets. There is ample space between the back-to-back calf pens to ensure air hygiene within the pens and to deliver fresh bedding. The short, 12-inch (31 cm) wall keeps bedding in the pen yet does not obstruct air flow.

Pen dividers are held in place by removable rods between the posts of the front gate.

A locking mechanism on one of the feeding openings aids with restraining calves for health and management procedures.

REFERENCES

1. Lago A, McGuirk S, Bennett T, Cook N, Nordlund K. 2006. Calf Respiratory Disease and Pen Microenvironments in Naturally Ventilated Calf Barns in Winter. Dairy Sci. 89: 4014–4025.
2. Wathes CM, Jones CDR, Webster A JF. 1983. Ventilation, air hygiene and animal health. Vet. Rec. 113: 554–559.
3. Bates DW, Anderson JF. Calculation of Ventilation Needs of Confined Cattle. 1979.  JAVMA 174: 581-589.
4. Wells CM, Amos ND. 1994. Design of Air Distribution Systems for Closed Greenhouses. Acta Horticulture 361: 93-104.