On a recent farm visit, I caught up with dairy farmer and Nuffield scholar Brian Rushe, based in Kildare.

Brian is about to start designing his new calf accommodation. In the video, we chat through his different options and some of the pitfalls to avoid.

Calf shed design.

Arguably, there is no real template for a great calf shed. We are now getting closer to understanding that building a calf shed is a very different thing to building accommodation for cows or older stock.

What does a calf want?

  • Warmth: one of the big challenges for a dairy calf is it is very poor at generating heat. A calf has to work hard to stay warm. This is energy it can’t afford to lose. So large concrete structures with lots of airflow at certain times can be a problem.
  • Fresh air: after warmth, this is also critical, but how can you keep a calf warm in winter months as well as supplying fresh air all the time? Calves don’t generate heat, so our traditional stack effect doesn’t work, meaning natural ventilation is a challenge. Mechanical ventilation is something this author feels works well or else keeping sheds open while taking measures to address issues with the cold.
  • Dryness: wet bedding is a great place for bugs to multiply and it is also a great way for calves to get cold. Bedding type, floor gradients and fresh air flow all affect dryness.
  • Comfort: remember, a calf lies down for around 85% of its day, so providing a lot of the above will aid in giving the calf comfortable lying conditions (.

    • Challenges

    Our traditional buildings sometimes come under pressure in these situations by letting too much air in or, more often than not, being too stuffy.

    By opening sheds up, we face the challenge of calves getting too cold. One way of overcoming this is by having sheds more open (avoiding drafts), but feeding calves more milk or using calf jackets under three weeks of age.

    It is also important to get stocking densities and layout right to maximise efficiency for people managing calves. Be sure to have an active disinfectant point at entry points to the calf shed.

    It's great to have plenty of available hot water for cleaning and disinfection of utensils.

    Watch this video as we discuss the building design Brian is looking at.