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CAL F HOUS ING
New calf shed
James' mother Sheila is in charge of
calf-rearing on the farm. Calves used to be
reared in a converted chicken shed; it was
dark, had poor ventilation and was difficult
to keep clean. As a result, there had been
problems with pneumonia and scours.
James says: ‘I'm a firm believer that calves are
the most important part of the dairy unit - they
are the future of the herd. We have made a
lot of improvements to the cow sheds, and
last year it was time to update the calf-rearing
system…besides, Mum was threatening to
quit due to the poor working conditions!’
SPRING 2014 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
20
The Tomlinsons wanted a simple system, and
James spotted an idea whilst on a farm study
tour in Scotland. It was based on starting
calves off in individual pens, and then
moving the pens but not the calves.
‘We decided against hutches, they are
great for calves, but with the Lancashire
climate, not much fun for the people
looking after them’ explains James. ‘We
also looked at automatic calf feeders but
we prefer to bucket-feed calves so they get
individual attention.’
The shed that the Tomlinsons designed
themselves can hold up to 80 calves. It has
five separate bays down two sides, with
eight individual temporary pens in each.
Calves are taken to the pens as soon as
they are born.
When calves are a month old and drinking
and feeding well, the pens in the bay are
dismantled and removed, leaving the eight
calves behind, as a group. They then receive
milk and concentrates by trough.
James explains: ‘With this system we are
never under pressure to move the calves.
It has relieved the stress for both my mother
and the calves. I've also noticed that calf
growth has improved.’
Calves are taken to the pens as soon as they are born
The pens in the bay are easy to dismantle and remove