(Continued from Page 30) times joes the veterinarian leave the farm without having
flow can be controlled manually with a globe valve hooked gotten around to the calves compared with not having
to the farm water supply but this will consume large gotten around to the cows?
amounts of water. A solenoid valve, timer and thermostat A goo d calf and heifer housing facility should help pro
provides automatic operation. Cycling the water on and off vide we u grown replacement animals ready to enter the
will conserve water and promote alternate wetting and m ilking herd at 24 months of age. To achieve this goal the
drying. Alternate wetting and drying may actually increase fadlity must; produce replacement heifers that are ready
the cooling affect. Typical cycles range from 5 minutes on t 0 breed at 13 to 15 months of age; 2) Provide a comfortable,
and 5 minutes off to 1.5 minutes on and 13.5 minutes off. bea itijy environment for calves and heifers; and 3) Provide a
Sprinklers need only operate long enough to get cows wet. convenie nt working environment for the operator.
Thermostats should be set to turn the system on at about 78° Various components of the calf and heifer housing system
F - can affect animal comfort, health, and productivity (Graves
and Heinrichs, 1984). The most common problems are: poor
ventilation, housing younger animals with older young
stock or mature cows, too many calves in a group, and too
large an age or size span among calves in a group.
Sprinkling in free stall alleys is not recommended. Wet
bedding during hot weather will promote unhealthy condi
tions. Also, cows should be encouraged to go to the feed
bunk and eat. In California, cows will come out into the hot
sun to stand under sprinklers at feeding areas.
The following three important points must be considered TIE STALL HOUSING
when sprinkling cows for heat stress relief. Tie stall or stanchion barns are the traditional method for
•Operate the system to minimize wet, sloppy udders. housing milking dairy cows in the Northeast. They continue
•Provide for good air flow over the cows to promote to be a popular and effective housing method, especially in
evaporation. smaller herds. The Northeast Dairy Practices Council
•Be sure to provide good air exchange to remove wet (NDPC, 1981) provides the following definition of a stall
air from the sprinkler area. bam. “The stall bam is a dairy housing unit where animals
CALF AND HEIFER HOUSING are restrained in parallel rows of stalls for efficient individ-
The future of any dairy herd is its young stock. These ani- uai care and control,
mats represent the highest genetic potential for milk pro- To save time and steps, workers proceed along one row of
duction on a well managed dairy farm. Therefore, the care animals and return along a parallel row. Chores include
given in raising these animals should be consistent with handling silage, hay, concentrates, water and bedding, milk
their high value. However, the young stock on many dairy and manure and animal care (moving, inspecting, checking,
farms are often the most overlooked animals. They are treating, and breeding).’’
housed last, fed last and given health care last. How many (T Urn to Page 33)
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