Husbandry Unit 3.1: 

Technical Notes 

Note: Numbers in brackets refer to illustrations in the Extension Materials.

2 By careful planning of the location and basic design of your cattle shed.

 How can you construct improved housing to better meet the needs of your dairy animals? (37-147)

3 By making sure you understand what each improvement is for and how much it will cost you.

Some important aspects that must be taken into account in designing housing for dairy animals are:

- Optimum comfort for the animal so that it will produce most. This involves protection from rain and extremes of heat and cold and strong winds; adequate ventilation. (4-8)

Comfort
4 Make your animals comfortable so that they produce more milk.

6 Protect your animals from heat

The more productive dairy cattle have a high metabolic rate which results in the production of a considerable amount of heat.  Thus they would be more comfortable in a cold, dry climate than in a hot, humid climate because the former would be helpful in getting rid of the extra body heat.  However, there are vast areas with hot and humid tropical climates in the region.  The basic model presented, therefore, would be one suitable for these unfavourable conditions.  Providing adequate ventilation and protection from excessive sunlight and heavy rains is extremely important under these conditions.  This model can be easily modified to meet the needs of the climatic conditions, by providing half walls, curtains etc. where necessary.

The materials used for construction and the construction itself should not be too expensive.  Many small farmers cannot afford such luxury even for their own dwellings.  However, the material used should be durable, otherwise the costs of repairs and maintenance will be too high.  Fortunately in most rural areas less expensive material such as bamboo, coconut and other wood and cadjan (mats made of coconut frond), straw or other seasoned leaves are used traditionally and indigenous technology is available.

It is quite common for small scale producers with one to a few dairy cattle to house them in open sheds with an earth floor.  Sometimes cattle may be kept in a basement under the human dwelling or under a stack of straw.  Even though the animals may have shelter from sun and rain, and the construction costs are minimal, the other requirements are generally not met.  (20-23)

Convenience for operational activities, e.g. feeding, watering, milking and maintenance of a hygienic environment, has to be provided for in designing the arrangements within the shed and in the actual construction.  These are discussed under the layout, floor construction etc. as appropriate.

20 Many small scale farmers house their dairy animals in open sheds with earth floors.

Most of these problems can be overcome to a very great extent by:
- Constructing the shed in a well drained area and having a shallow drain around the shed.  (26)

- Having a systematic arrangement within the shed for tying the animals, preferably in a row, with appropriate space between animals and a separate area for the calves.  (27)

- Waste of feed, specially by trampling, is prevented by designing a suitable feed trough from which the animal can conveniently pick up its feed, whether it be cut and preferably chopped roughage or concentrate.  (29)
- Making the roof leak-proof i.e. maintaining the roof in a good state of repair, especially during rainy weather.  (30)
- Ramming the floor adequately with gravel to have an even floor and attending to the floor regularly to prevent uneven areas developing.  (31)

 Injury to the animal is prevented by constructing a non-slippery standing, allowing adequate space for the animal to lie down and get up without obstruction.  Space between animals has to be restricted, however, to prevent them moving across the standing, dropping dung and urine on the standing.

34 Take your animals outside the shed for washing, bathing, spraying etc.

Construction of improved housing

The basic simple model can be improved upon in various ways.  Some examples are discussed below.  Before making recommendations to farmers, the extension officers should:

- Understand the benefits of these improvements.  (37)

- Work out their costs, as applicable to the particular situation.  (38)

- Discuss with the respective farmers the relevance of these
   improvements to their particular situations.  (39)

If the cattle/buffalo are to be kept in the basement under the human dwelling or if a shed is to be constructed making use of an existing wall of a house, there will be very little choice in siting the cattle shed.  (40)

If a choice is available, the following should be taken into account in siting.

- Well drained and at a higher elevation.  (41)

- Trees for shade and to serve as wind breaks or possibility of growing them if no trees exist. 

- Avoiding direct draught into shed and preventing severe winds blowing off the roof.  (42)

- Convenient access, for supply of feed and water etc. and removal of milk. (43)

The layout is usually constrained by the availability of space and funds in the small farmer situation.  Several alternatives can be considered.  Flexibility, cost saving and optimum utilization of space (e.g. ceiling to store hay or straw) are important criteria.  (44)

- If making use of an existing wall, an elongated shed can be constructed and an area can be separated for calves etc.  (45)

- If making use of the basement of a human dwelling, an appropriate arrangement has to be devised, keeping in line with floor area.  It may be that only Module 1 (see below) can be accommodated initially.  (46-47)

 Open cattle shed for 2 cows/1 heifer/2 calves.  The design was developed by MLDC/Sri Lanka.  (48-51)

- Module 1 comprises the living area for the cows, heifers and calves.  This is constructed initially on a simple layout, according to the means of the smallholder.

- Module 2 comprises a movable calf box, storage for fresh fodder and exercise area with an attached manger added on subsequently as and when income from milk production permits.  This addition would bring addi-tional benefits from healthier calves, higher breeding efficiency and ease of work.

- Module 3 comprises separate areas for concentrate feeds, farm equipment, water storage, and milk and milk utensils.  This is added on to Modules 1 and 2 as and when income from milk production permits.  The additional benefits would be from improved cleanliness of milk, ease of work and improved work efficiency.

The standing is the area allowed for cows and heifers.  (54)

The main aspects to be considered are the floor area, type of floor and slope, partitioning and tethering arrangements.
 Floor area

The floor area on the standing allowed for each cow/heifer depends on the size of the animal.  The principle is to provide adequate space for the animal to lie down in comfort and to get up without obstruction.  At the same time the urine and dung should drop away from the animal, preferably into the gutter (dung channel).  (55)

The standing area usually allowed for a crossbred dairy cow is about 1.60 m x 1.10 m (See Module 1).  (56)

The area for the heifers can be reduced by changing the position of the gutter (See MLDC layout).   (57)

Type of floor and slope

The floor can be made of:

Rammed earth and gravel  (59)

For a rammed earth and gravel floor, a slope of about 3 % or 1 in 30 (towards the gutter) will be required.  (60)

The main advantage of a rammed earth and gravel floor is its low initial cost.  However, it needs constant maintenance to prevent the appearance of uneven areas where pools of mud and urine will form.   (61)

This can be partially overcome by having sufficient bedding e.g. saw dust, straw or left over roughage around the hind quarters of the animals.  (63)

Large pieces of rubble with the flat surface facing up 

The rubble is laid on and bound together with a mixture of cement and sand, e.g. 1:3.  (64-67)

Cement, sand and gravel are mixed in a suitable ratio, e.g. 1:3:3.  (68-71)

The slope can be reduced to about 1.5 % or 1 in 60 when large rubble on cement or concrete is used.
 

Wooden floors should be used only where the wood is of good quality and freely available.  The costs of maintenance and repair increase as good quality wood becomes scarce. (72-73)

Partitioning within the shed keeps the calves separated from the adult cattle and also restricts the movement of the adult cattle across the standing.  If the animals are allowed free movement across the standing, dung and urine will be dropped all over (may affect hygiene and make cleaning more difficult) and injuries may be caused e.g. by one animal trampling another's udder.  (74-76)
The partitions can be made of wood available in the area or galvanized piping or a combination of the two.  Initial costs and costs of maintenance should be taken into account in deciding what to use.  (77)

Partitions (dividers) between two adult animals are usually placed about 1.10 m apart and may extend only a distance of about 100.0 cm from the head of the standing to allow free access to the animal for milking etc.  They may consist of two rafters (e.g. coconut), placed about 30.0 cm apart with the top one at a height of about 75.0 cm., fitted to two wooden posts, one at the head of standing and the other about 100.0 cm from it; or a 40.0 mm. diameter galvanized pipe fitted to a wooden or galvanized post at the head end, and bent about 100.0 cm away so that the other end can be buried in the standing.  (79-80)

Tethering arrangements

The simplest tethering arrangement is to tie the animal by its neck to a wooden post erected on the floor, using a coir (coconut fibre) rope.  However, to prevent injuries to the animals and also to restrict its movements various improvements have been made. (81)

The stay for tying each animal may be an iron ring fixed to the floor close to the manger halfway between two partitions.  Alternatively, two rings may be fixed for each animal, one close to each partition, so that the animal is more restricted to the centre of the standing.  (84-85)

 84 You can fix an iron ring (stay) to the floor near the manger between the partitions.

The gutter (also called drain or dung channel)

Even when the floor is of rammed earth and gravel, it is best to have the gutter made in rubble and cement or brick and cement.  (88)
If the sides of the gutter are not strong, they will continuously erode into the gutter and proper maintenance of the floor of the standing will be impossible.  By having the gutter finished smooth with cement and sand, cleaning will be convenient and the dung and urine can easily be led into a urine pit or a bio-gas digester outside the shed.  (89-91)
 

If cement rendering is used, the edges may be rounded to facilitate cleaning.  The gutter may lead to a urine pit about 60.0 cm x 60.0 cm and 40.0 cm deep or to a bio-gas digester.  (92-93)

The floor of the feeder can be made with rammed earth, rubble on cement or cement concrete.  (94)

In its simplest form, the feeder is an area separated out from the standing with a wooden plank.  There is a slope away from the animal of about 2.5 % or 1 in 40.  (95).

The disadvantages of this arrangement are:  (96)

- the animal cannot pick up some of the feed which may thus get wasted; 

- a container has to be used for feeding concentrates. 
The feeder may be made of wooden planks, bamboo poles, bamboo strips or galvanized sheets.  A metal barrel cut into two may also be used as a feeder.  This will corrode rapidly if used for silage feeding.  (97-98)

A wooden shaft or galvanized piping may be fitted at a height of 90.0 cm from the ground and over the wooden partition (head rail) to prevent the animal attempting to get into the feeder area.  (100)
The waterer

The simplest method is to supply water in buckets several times daily (at least three times a day).  (101)

The roof

When the animals are to be housed in a basement of a human dwelling or under a stack of straw, the material to be used for the roof, roof arrangement etc. is  already decided.  But when a separate shed is constructed, the most appropriate and least expensive alternatives should be selected.  Materials that can be used for the roof are many.  The decision has to be made considering various aspects.  (103)

Cadjans, straw, dried grasses and other seasoned leaves are being used in many areas.  The supporting structure can also be very simple in these cases, which makes it quite economical initially.  However, these materials need replacement at regular intervals of 1-3 years depending on the material used and how skillfully the job is done.  Therefore, maintenance is more costly than roofs made of clay tiles or galvanized sheets.  (104-107)
 

(e.g. cement/concrete 60 cm x 50 cm x 20 cm deep) beside the manger (1 tank for 2 animals).

When an existing wall is used as one side of the shed, the lean-to roof (with a single slope) is the most convenient arrangement.  When a separate shed is constructed away from other structures, a roof sloping in either direction from the centre would be best.  (113, 116)
 

Having the roof extended about 60.0 cm beyond the floor area will also help in reducing the rain beating in.  At the same time, curtains can be attached to the roof where necessary.  (115)

Pillars and posts

Pillars and posts within the shed can be made of wood, galvanized piping (of appropriate gauge and diameter), bricks and cement or cement concrete.  When wood and or galvanized piping is used, durability can be improved by having the bottom of the pillar made of concrete up to a height of about 30.0 cm.  (117-118)
 

For most places in the region, the best arrangement would be to have the sides open.  When the shed is constructed making use of an existing wall,  it automatically gets bounded by a complete wall on one side.  Consideration should be given to the possibility of selecting a wall which would also serve as a wind barrier where strong winds are present.  It is usual to have the feeder towards the wall end of the standing as more space is required at the hind end of the animal for milking, A.I. etc.  (119-121)
 

 120 Place the feeder near wall so you have more space at the back of your animal for milking, A.I. etc.

The material to be used for curtains can vary from dried grass or straw to cadjan or bamboo strips.  (123)

The material to be used for the half walls/walls may be bamboo or any other wood, wooden planks, wattle and daub (wood/bamboo structure covered with mud) plastered with lime and sand mixture or brick and cement.  (125)
 

The ideal arrangement would be  to have a separate room with good light and ventilation for storing milk utensils.  (126)

However, a sufficient degree of cleanliness and hygiene can be achieved by having a rack attached to an existing wall or provid-ing an arrangement to hold the milk cans against a post but not close to standings or gutters.  It is necessary that the wash waters get drained off making the utensils dry and that the dust is not disturbed or any dung/urine etc. does not get splashed into the utensils while they are being stored.  (127-130)
 

Rain is a very cheap source of clean water suitable for all purposes in the shed.  (131)

The usual method of collection is to attach a gutter made of galvanized sheeting or, plastic (or even wood) to the edge of the roof and to lead the water through a down pipe made of galvanized sheeting, plastic, earth or cement to a storage tank/container of appropriate shape and capacity.  (132-133)
 

 132 You can collect it from your roof with a gutter made of plastic or galvanized sheet or even wood

The sizes and numbers of the containers to be kept on any farm will be determined by the availability of other clean water (and costs of bringing same to the site), the rainfall patterns of the area, the costs of construction/purchase and the investment capability of the farmer. 
 (136-137)
 

The housing of dairy calves needs more attention because they are more susceptible than adult animals to adverse environmental conditions including diseases.  (138)

In its simplest form, a calf house can be just a separated out area in a cattle shed.  This arrangement is suitable in a dry area, where adequate ventilation can be provided without the risk of the calf getting exposed to severe cold winds etc.  Even under these conditions, it is best to provide individual pens for the calves and prevent calves of different ages being kept together.  (139-140)

In areas which require closed housing, e.g. extremely cold climates, strong cold winds etc., and in damp conditions, where it is difficult to keep the floor dry, calf pens are usually fitted with a raised platform.  The platform (slatted floor) may be made of strips of wood, placed about 15.0 mm apart, to prevent the calf's foot getting entangled in the space between strips.  (141)
 

The space within the cow shed can be put to optimum use and the calf pens can be maintained in a very high state of hygiene by using movable calf pens.  By moving the pens outside the shed to a suitable pasture area, the calf can be offered good quality roughage as well.  (143-144)
Feeding and watering

A feeding rack can be fixed within the calf pen while a concentrate trough and a bucket for water/milk placed on a holder outside the pen, but within easy reach of the calf.  (145)
 

When the calf's movements are limited within a calf pen, it would be useful for its healthy growth to provide an exercise yard.  (146)

Materials such as barbed wire that can injure the animals should not be used in these areas. (147)

A simple arrangement of a perimeter fence for an exercise yard is to fix horizontal shafts (made of wood or coconut) to wooden posts placed about 1.80 m apart and to tie the droppers by rope (made of coir or similar material) through holes drilled in the horizontal shafts.  Whole bamboo and/or bamboo strips may also be used for the perimeter fence.
 

 

What do you know about housing for dairy cattle and buffalo?

 

Important things in designing housing

1 Comfort	(4)
2 Protection from the weather	(5-7)
3 Good ventilation	(8)
4 Low construction and maintenance costs	(9-10)
5 Preventing feed wastage	(11)
6 Preventing injury	(12-15)
7 Making use of wastes	(16-18)
8 Ease of feeding, milking, cleaning etc	(19)

Construction of simple housing

1 Types of simple housing	(20-22)
2 Advantages	(23)
3 Disadvantages	(24-25)
4 Key factors
- Drainage	(26)
- Tyings and spacing	(27)
- Partitions	(28)
- Containers	(29)
- Roof	(30)
- Floor	(31-32)
- Bedding	(33)
- Outside washing	(34)
- Curtains and wind breaks	(35-36)

Construction of improved housing

1 Points to consider	(37-39)
2 Siting	(40-43)
3 Layout	(44-53)
4 Standing	(54)
- Floor area	(55-58)
- Type of floor and slope	(59-73)
- Partitioning	(74-80)
- Tethering	(81-87)
5 Gutter	(88-93)
6 Feeder	(94-100)
7 Watering	(101-102)
8 Roof	(103-116)
9 Pillars and posts	(117-118)
10 Side walls and curtains	(119-125)
11 Storing milk utensils	(126-130)
12 Collecting and storing rain water	(131-137)
13 Dairy calves
- Housing	(138-142)
- Moveable calf pens	(143-144)
- Feeding and watering	(145)
- Exercise yard	(146-147)