Replacement Housing

> Good quality fresh air.

> Adequate space for feed and water.

> Space to group animals by size or age.

> Clean lots to maintain sanitary conditions.

> Isolation area for sick animals.

> Observation area for animals.

> Treatment facilities.

> Space for handling and restraint of animals.

Poorly planned or improperly managed animal housing increases the risk of disease or injury. High humidities are especially detrimental to animal health. Pneumonia, scours and other diseases can permanently damage vital body organs and reduce milk producing potential of an animal. Calves and heifers raised in a poor environment may never reach their full genetic potential for milk production.

Facility management

For healthy, high producing replacement animals, provide high quality housing and a management plan that addresses animals' needs. Good management, understanding what to do and then doing it on schedule, is important to the success of any housing system. Sanitation, stall maintenance, bedding, ventilation control, feeding, herd health, treatment and close observation are all important management practices. Young animals may need training and/or time to get accustomed to using freestalls. Daily or routine chores such as feeding, stall maintenance or manure removal should be made as convenient as possible to make sure they are accomplished in a timely manner.

Herd size and makeup

Herd size can mean either the number of cows actually milking or mature cows both dry and milking. In this handbook, the herd size is the number of mature cows.

Typical herd makeup, assuming uniform calving year-round, is given inTable 1. The numbers in the table reflect no culling of heifers or calves.

Use this table to determine housing needed for each management group.

Provide:

> Calf housing (0-2 months).

> Transition housing (3-5 months).

> Heifer housing:

V 6-8 months

V 9-12 months

V 13-15 months (breeding age)

V 16-24 months

The number of replacement animals to be housed depends on the number of milking cows and bred heifers. As herd size increases, so does number of replacements. Increasing herd size without expanding facilities for replacements results in crowding which can increase injury, disease transmission, and lower growth rates.