HOUSING FOR DAIRY CATTLE
An efficient management of cattle will be incomplete without a well planned and adequate housing of cattle. Improper planning of animal housing leads to additional labour charges. The housing should have proper sanitation, durability, arrangements for the production of clean milk under convenient and economic conditions.
Location of Dairy Buildings
The points which should be considered before the creation of dairy buildings animal houses are as follows.
Topography and drainage
The houses should be well raised / elevated for the surrounding ground to offer a good slope for rainfall and more drainage of dairy wastes to avoid stagnation and for the spread of diseases. A levelled area requires less site preparation and thus lesser cost of building. Low lands and depressions should be avoided.
Exposure to the sun and protection from wind
A dairy building should be located to a maximum exposure to the sun in the north and minimum exposure in the south and protect from prevailing strong wind currents whether hot or cold. Buildings should be placed such that direct sunlight can reach the platforms, gutters and mangers in the cattle shed. Its better to have, the long axis of the dairy barns set in the north-south direction to have maximum benefit of the sun.
Water supply
Abundant supply of fresh, clean and soft water should be available.
Surroundings
Narrow gates, high manger curbs, loose hinges, protruding nails, smooth finished floor in the areas where the cows move should be eliminated.
Labour
Honest, economic and regular supply of labour should be available.
Marketing
Dairy buildings should be in those areas where selling of dairy products can be done profitably and regularly. Owner should be in a position to satisfy the needs of the farm within no time and at reasonable price.
Facilities, labour, food
Cattle yards should be situated in relation to feed storages, hay stacks, silo and manure pits as to effect the most efficient utilization of labour. Sufficient space per cow and well-arranged feeding mangers and resting contribute not only to greater milk yield of cows and make the work of the operator easier also minimizes feed expenses.
Cattle Shed
The entire shed should be surrounded by a boundary wall of 5″ height from three side and manger etc., on one side. The feeding area should be provided with 2 to 2 ½ feet of manger space per cow. All along the manger, there shall be 10″ wide water trough to provide clean, even, available drinking water. The water trough constructed can minimize the loss of fodders during feeding. Near the manger, under the roofed house 5″ wide floor should be paved with bricks having a little slope. Beyond that, there should be open unpaved area (40’X35′) surrounded by 5″ wall with one gate. It is preferable that animals face north when they are eating fodder under the shade. During cold wind in winter the animals will automatically lie down to have the protection from the walls.
Cow sheds can be arranged in a single row if the numbers of cows are small. In double row housing, the stable should be so arranged that the cows face out (tails to tail system) or face in (head to head system) as preferred.
Floor
The inside floor of the barn should be of some impervious material which can be easily kept clean and dry and is not slippery. Grooved cement concrete floor is still better. The surface of the cowshed should be laid with a gradient of 1″ to 1 14″ from manger to excreta channel. An overall floor space of 65 to 70 sq.ft. Per adult cow should be satisfactory.
Wall
The inside of the walls should have a smooth hard finish of cement, which will not allow any lodgment of dust and moisture. Corners should be round. The open space in between supporting pillars will serve for light and air circulation.
Roof
Roof of the barn may be of asbestos sheet or tiles. However, iron sheets with aluminum painted tops to reflect sunrays and bottoms provided with wooden insulated ceilings can also achieve the objective. A height of 8 feet at the sides and 15 feet at the ridge will be sufficient to give the necessary air space to the cows. An adult cow requires at least about 800 cubic feet of air space under tropical conditions.
Manger
Cement concrete continuous manger with removable partitions is the best from the point of view of durability and cleanliness. A height of 1 ‘-4″ for a high front manger and 6″ to 9″ for a low front manger is considered sufficient. Low front mangers are more comfortable for cattle but high front mangers prevent feed wastage. The height at the back of the manger should be kept at 2′-6″ to 3″. An overall width of 2′ to 2 1/2’ is sufficient for a good manger.
Labour
Honest, economic and regular supply of labour should be available.
Alleys
The central walk should have a width of 5′-6′ exclusive of gutters when cows face out, and 4′-5′ when they face in. The feed alley, in case of a face out system should be 4′ wide, and the central walk should show a slope of 1″ from the center towards the two gutters running parallel to each other, thus forming a crown at the center.
Manure Gutter
The manure gutter should be wide enough to hold all dung without getting blocked, and be easy to clean. Suitable dimensions are 2″ width with a cross-fall of 1” away from standing. The gutter should have a gradient of 1″ for every 10′ length. This will permit a free flow of liquid excreta.
Door
The doors of a single range cowshed should be 5″ wide with a height of 7′, and for double row shed the width should not be less than 8″ to 9′. All doors of the barn should lie flat against the external wall when fully open.
Sheds for Young Stocks
Calves should never be accommodated with adults in the cow shed. The calf house must have provision for daylight ventilation and proper drainage. Damp and ill-drained floors cause respiratory trouble in calves to which they are susceptible. For an efficient management and housing, the young stock should be divided into three groups, viz., young calves aged to one year bull calves, female calves. Each group should be sheltered in a separate calf house or calf shed. As far as possible the shed for the young calves should be quite close to the cow shed.
