Cattle housing: areas of distribution and organization of care and water supply

Stalling of cattle is used if it is impossible for animals to organize grazing, in the absence of pastures or a significant number of livestock on the farm. It is typical for suburban farms; proximity to the city, an abundance of transport, the lack of free sites leave farmers one way out - to equip animals with a high-tech complex so that constant stay indoors does not affect he alth and productivity.

General information about stall management and grazing

Stall keeping - when the livestock of cattle is constantly in the barn, receives ready-made feed (including fresh grass), and to save the animals from problems due to lack of movement, only walking areas are used.

If the animals are driven out to pasture every day, where they find green mass on their own, the content is called grazing. For pastures, flat areas with high herbage are selected. Nearby (at a distance of no more than 1-2 kilometers), a reservoir should be located so that the animals have access to water. If there is no reservoir nearby, wells and drinkers for livestock will be equipped.

Pazing is much he althier for the animals than the stall option, and cheaper for the farmer. Cows do not suffer from a lack of physical activity, they acquire strong immunity. Today, however, there are fewer free spaces for free grazing. Areas of cattle grazing distribution - Lower Volga region, Kalmykia, Rostov region.

Important: irrational use of pastures, trampling of territories, pollution of river and lake banks with animal waste products, lack of proper water treatment can lead to desertification of habitual grazing areas.Therefore, modern highly mechanized large livestock complexes require stall keeping of cows.

Pros and cons

Staying cows in a stall is convenient with a high number of livestock, process automation makes it easier to care for animals.

Pros and consmechanized processes of feeding, milking, cleaning allow serving a large number of cows;the probability of injury is excluded (in the pasture, the animal can injure itself on branches, wire, injure its legs on bumps);no risk of poisoning by poisonous plants.animals suffer from a lack of movement, joints weaken, obesity occurs;immunity decreases;have to trim the hooves more often;the life expectancy of cows is reduced.

If the complex is large, and farmers save on wastewater treatment plants, there is a problem of pollution of surrounding areas and a constant unpleasant smell.

Requirements for the premises

Stall cows are divided into tethered and loose systems. With a tethered system, each cow is in a separate stall, 1.8-2.0 meters long and 1.0-1.2 meters wide. The animal is fixed with a chain, feeders and drinkers are equipped in the front part, and a manure disposal system is located at the back. The size of the stall varies depending on the age of the animals, breed and sex. For bulls and pregnant cows, more spacious pens are provided. Stalls are placed in a row, adjacent rows are combined with a feed or manure passage.

Cow housing is equipped with ventilation, it must be dry and bright. In addition to windows, electric lighting is installed. With stall keeping, the barn is equipped with a large number of windows that open in warm weather.

Equipped with solid or slatted floors with a slope of 2-3 °. Windows and doors are insulated to prevent drafts. In a barn, with a large number of animals, a centralized water supply is required. Animals need free access to water. If there are few animals, individual drinkers and feeders are equipped. With a significant number of livestock, the process of distributing feed is automated.

The walking area is equipped next to the barn building, it is fenced, if necessary, a canopy is made. The site should be protected from the wind, each animal on the run should have 15-16 square meters of area.

Loose housing requires a large barn area. In this case, the cows move freely all day, for milking they come to a special parlor with equipment.

To teach cows to come for milking, they are given hay and mineral supplements during the process.Milked at the same time, the animals quickly get used to the regimen. Animals rest on a deep litter of straw and sawdust, or boxes are equipped according to the type of stalls in which the livestock is located. So that there are no skirmishes in groups of animals, cows are divided into groups by age, sex, period of hunting and pregnancy.

Sanitary requirements for keeping cows

The complex for keeping cattle should include: a feed storage room, a barn, a walking area. Animals are provided with high-quality feed, clean, without signs of mold and decay. Water in drinking bowls - not lower than +12 ° C, it must be clean and comply with sanitary standards. Mandatory daily (preferably 2 times a day) cleaning of manure indoors.

Animals need daily walking, they must walk at least 1.5-2 kilometers. Walking areas are equipped with a durable coating (concrete, asph alt), which should be systematically cleaned, and snow and ice should be removed in winter.

Drinkers and feeders are systematically cleaned of food residues, treated with a 2% hot solution of baking soda. Animals must be examined by a veterinarian. If a disease is detected, the cow must be isolated from the rest of the livestock and treated. In case of infectious diseases on the farm, quarantine measures are mandatory.

Optimal water supply for dairy cows on pasture

In the barn, with a large number of animals, water is needed. Beginning farmers often mount a metal water tank indoors and fill it as needed. Usually, farmers use a pasture-stall system for keeping cows. In summer, the animals are on the pasture, in winter - in stalls. This ensures high productivity of animals, protects the legs of cows from diseases. Since animals need access to clean water, a site near a stream or river is chosen for pasture. Animals should not be watered from ponds, the water must be running.

The area where the animals are watered is fenced off and a comfortable gentle slope is made so that the cows do not hurt their legs. The shore area should be systematically cleaned of excrement. In hot weather, cows should drink 4-5 times a day. Before equipping a place for drinking animals, water from a reservoir is taken for analysis to determine its quality.

Stall keeping of animals throughout the year is a necessary measure. This method is convenient, but costly for the farmer, the animals suffer from a lack of fresh air and movement. Whenever possible, it should be replaced with a pasture or mixed variety.