Calf sheds

Half Full

Member
Location
Southwest
847419
4747FA15-1BC4-4EA7-A7C9-2929D08F755C.jpeg
4747FA15-1BC4-4EA7-A7C9-2929D08F755C.jpeg
4747FA15-1BC4-4EA7-A7C9-2929D08F755C.jpeg
This is mine holds 140 in pens of ten, fed with 2 wydales on a trolley so no lifting seems to work well.
847420
5448455D-5C9B-4AC7-8BE3-E4E435A0BEF7.jpeg
 

bar718

Member
What fall have you put in the floor from front of pen to back and also what have you done for drainage ?
Looks very impressive, enough to set calf shed envy going at this end.
 

Half Full

Member
Location
Southwest
The trolley height is set so that the wydale feeders are just above the cake troughs so they just reach through the gap, we did intend on lifting them over into the pen but it was hard work lifting them in and out and also lifting milk over the top of the gate. Seems to work well and when they are finished you just push it onto to the next pen.
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
looks brilliant, but will only work well, if it keeps the correct environment, air flo etc, for the calves. I do know for 1 set up, sim to yours, for several 100 calves, that simply does not work, and mortality rates, were horrendous, 25/30%. The last I heard, they were going to put a roofed shelter, in each younger pen, with forced ventilation. Pnumonia, and other conditions, thrive in incorrectly vented sheds. Its nothing to do with how much you spend, or how nice it looks, it is all down to the correct environment for the calves, if its right they do, if its wrong they don't.
 

Half Full

Member
Location
Southwest
A bit of history regarding this sheds build, we used to rear calves in three different sheds and always had rumbling pneumonia issues in winter months. We put a cubicle shed on most of the existing sheds site so needed something new. So as a belt and braces approach in the first winter of using the new shed we used Bovipast double dose vaccine as a belt and braces approach, never made any difference at all still had some pneumonia issues. The thing that revolutionised our calf rearing was giving a live dose of IBR as soon as we had a pen of calves, so very young, regarding calf losses this year we have reared over 150 replacements and have only lost one for having a gam-my leg and none have had pneumonia yet. ?????Regarding shelters in pens I thought about this, but speaking to a specialist calf vet his thoughts were it would create stale air and create as many problems as it solved. The one time calves didn’t do as well was when it got really cold and the sub two week olds didn’t grow as well, looked a bit lack lustre/cold. I think jackets would have been better for them and will try this in future as in the pens even on the windiest of days there is very little draught.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

  • 1,286
  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
Top