Calves prefer paddocks as oppose to pens

Calving pens have gone out of fashion as building design has swung in favour of yards and block calving herds prefer paddocks. But individual pens can’t be beaten for hygiene and handling – and the extra individual attention gets cows back into the herd quicker.

Unfortunately, not only have yards taken over but, as herds have expanded, new calving facilities have been put furthest away from the parlour.

Yet they should be near people activity – beside the parlour, dairy and office, according to vet Neil Howie of Nantwich Vet Group in Cheshire. “There is a skill in calving cows: Knowing when to leave them alone and when to interfere. Judging this means being able to see cows regularly,” he says.

Mr Howie believes herds calving in yards or paddocks would still benefit from adding a separate gated pen at one end for cows needing assistance. But the yard shouldn’t be used as a hospital pen as well. It puts the herd’s most vulnerable cows into close contact with animals being treated for disease, he points out.

Stand-alone calving pens are best sited beside the parlour, but without the distraction of the whole herd walking past several times. When a cow is unsteady on her feet, it means she doesn’t have far to walk for milking. Even better, says Mr Howie, is to extend the milk pipeline into the pen, allowing her to be milked there when necessary.

The number of pens depends on herd size and calving pattern. In a 200-cow herd, for instance, calving year round would lead to an average four calvings a week. “Four pens would be enough to give cows sufficient time to benefit from individual attention, but a quick-enough turnover.”

It should be designed to allow one person to contain a cow to examine her safely and be big enough for the cow, calving aid and operator, says Mr Howie. “Make a hard standing/feeding area and a bedded area with extra gates to trap a cow in a wedge. If a cow is 8ft long, add another 5-6ft for a calving aid, so you want a clear space of 13-14t.”

Bedding with nine in sand topped by a thin layer of straw offers the best in cow comfort, security – should the cow go down – and cleanliness. “It’s not possible to bed well on concrete without layering up for some grip, but this leads to poor hygiene. Sand is a safe and inert surface,” he explains.

Removing dirty bedding after every cow keeps pens clean and helps reduce bacteria loading, metritis and environmental mastitis, as well as navel ill in calves. “Calving in an individual pen also reduces the chances of mismothering. A newborn calf in among several cows can get kicked away when it tries to suckle the wrong dam, so it may not try again. Individual pens are the best chance to ensure calves drink enough colostrum from the right cow.

“Spending some money creating a calving pen will reduce mastitis rates caused by Strep uberis and E coli, not to mention navel ill in calves, so you get payback from day one. Cows can be in and out quickly, making nursing easier and less disruptive to the daily routine for staff.”