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Every Thing Else Board
Carrie Underwood
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<blockquote data-quote="regolith" data-source="post: 1122710" data-attributes="member: 9267"><p>I can't speak from experience, but I do know why it's done.</p><p>My calves are reared in groups, mainly outside, with the younger calves kept in a shed for the first few weeks - essentially until mid-spring when the weather is better. They are all born over the space of about two months, once a year.</p><p></p><p>Overseas - Britain and Europe - calving all year round is the norm for dairies and for at least the first few weeks, each calf would have its own individual pen. This is mainly for disease control, as well presumably for ease of management as they don't have a large group of same-age calves like I would. Disease control is a challenge in any housed system and especially so if the building is not disinfected and 'rested' between batches of calves - with AYR calving the only way you can rest a calf shed is if you've got two sheds and don't need one.</p><p></p><p>Outdoor hutches gives the best of both worlds. The calves are managed individually, have shelter plus full access to clean air and there is none of that dreaded mouth to dung contact between calves. </p><p>The biggest issue I have with rearing calves outdoors is shelter, I rotate the young calves through the most sheltered paddocks I've got and avoid exposed ones. Some farmers build a calf shelter or tow one from paddock to paddock but that gets you right back to the situation that pathogens will build up inside a group shelter just as much as if they were indoors.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="regolith, post: 1122710, member: 9267"] I can't speak from experience, but I do know why it's done. My calves are reared in groups, mainly outside, with the younger calves kept in a shed for the first few weeks - essentially until mid-spring when the weather is better. They are all born over the space of about two months, once a year. Overseas - Britain and Europe - calving all year round is the norm for dairies and for at least the first few weeks, each calf would have its own individual pen. This is mainly for disease control, as well presumably for ease of management as they don't have a large group of same-age calves like I would. Disease control is a challenge in any housed system and especially so if the building is not disinfected and 'rested' between batches of calves - with AYR calving the only way you can rest a calf shed is if you've got two sheds and don't need one. Outdoor hutches gives the best of both worlds. The calves are managed individually, have shelter plus full access to clean air and there is none of that dreaded mouth to dung contact between calves. The biggest issue I have with rearing calves outdoors is shelter, I rotate the young calves through the most sheltered paddocks I've got and avoid exposed ones. Some farmers build a calf shelter or tow one from paddock to paddock but that gets you right back to the situation that pathogens will build up inside a group shelter just as much as if they were indoors. [/QUOTE]
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Carrie Underwood
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