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Moving a newly weaned calf from an individual pen to a small group environment is an abrupt change or transition. The combination of stresses due to new social interactions with other calves, competition for feed and water, and a new housing system can seriously affect calf growth and performance.

Giving special consideration to the calf's environment can make this transition less stressful as the calf adjusts to group living and learns to compete. Monitor calves for adequate dry feed and water intake and make sure calves are disease free before moving them into a group pen.

Provide transition housing for calves from weaning to 5 months of age.
Maintain small groups of 4-5 calves per group with a small range in size or age (I month maximum). Provide well bedded pens that allow 25-30 ft2 of resting space per calf. Have fresh water available at all times. Transition housing should provide an environment similar to calf hutches only in a group setting. Depending on herd size and the ability to observe an individual calf, the maximum group size would be 20 calves.

Calf Shelter or Super Hutch

Portable shelters or super hutches can provide transition housing for calves from cold housing. A super calf hutch is designed for up to six calves, Fig 5. An optional paved lot and addition of a fenced area can be used with the super hutches, Fig 6. Keep the shelter well bedded and alternate the hutch site between groups of calves. In a pasture system the super hutch can be rotated on the pasture, Fig 7. Waterers can be centrally located or moved with the hutch site.

Transition Barn

For herds greater than 100 milking cows, a series of 10'x24' pens can be used in a «transition barn» for calves up to six months old, Fig 8.
Capacity for this arrangement is six animals if the feed alley is scraped and eight animals if the entire pen is bedded.

Transition barns commonly have a 3:12 single slope roof with no insulation. The barns should open to the south or east to take advantage of the sunlight. The eave in the back wall is open to aid in moisture control in the winter. During summer remove fabric or other coverings on the back and endwalls for natural ventilation. Extend both ends of the barn 4' beyond the pen fronts to minimize wind effects at the corners of the barn during cold weather. Locate waterers in the feed manger line to minimize splashed water in the bedded area.

To minimize excessive drafts in long barns, attach plywood to gates and hang fabric from the underside of the roof down to the gate between alternate pens. During cold weather, place straw bales along the bottom edge of the gates to stop drafts. Remove bales during warm weather.

Calf Barn

Calf barns combine individual pens, Fig 4, and transition group pens for calves into one building design, Fig 9. A full open sidewall with curtain provides cross ventilation in summer and draft protection in the winter. The upper half of the building can be a pivot door or curtain for draft protection in winter. The lower part of the wall can have removable panels for better summer ventilation. Air movement through the building should be sufficient to maintain inside temperature only slightly above outside temperature in the winter and slightly below outside temperature in summer.

Use solid partitions between calves to prevent nose to nose contact.
Wire fences on fronts and backs of pens allow better air circulation during warm weather, but arrange pens to keep calves from contacting each other.
In winter, use solid pen backs to provide draft protection. Hovers may be needed in winter. Choose or construct pens that are easily dismantled for manure removal.

Heifer housing (6-24 months)

There are several options for housing heifers after transition housing.
Regardless of housing type, group animals according to a management plan considering nutritional, health and reproductive needs of each group. At a minimum, a logical break in grouping is a breeding age group and a bred heifer group.

The primary functions of heifer housing are to:

> Minimize animal handling for treatment.

> Allow for animal breeding.

> Allow for animal observation.

Even though heifers can tolerate more stress as they grow older, they still must be protected from wet conditions, drafts, and poor environment.
In open front housing, provide group pens of sufficient depth to protect heifers from winter winds. Solid pen partitions help reduce drafts.

Freestall Housing

Young heifers are grouped in freestall housing with stalls sized according to age or size of heifer, Table 4. Freestall housing requires considerably less bedding than bedded pack housing. Frequent manure removal is required (once or twice a week), unless floors are slotted. Frozen manure can be a problem in cold barns, but is manageable.

There are several different layouts that can be used in freestall housing. Each alternative is suited to particular feeding and manure handling situations. Each alternative has adequate feedbunk space, Table 6.
Freestalls can be inside with outside lots for exercise and feeding. The trend is having freestalls and feeding included under the building roof or confined area. Outside exercise lots may still be provided for use during periods of good weather.

Two-row freestall barn

Two-row freestall barns are typically used for up to 100 heifers, Fig
10. Freestall length for each group in Table 4 is sized to provide maximum comfort for the size of animal in the group. Heifers are grouped in pens around the perimeter of the building.

Manure is either scraped automatically, the alley is slotted or flushed, because it is not possible to move animals during tractor scraping. When animals have access to outside runs, tractor scraping can be accomplished. Build an 8' alley when a feed cart is used. For drive-through feeding, a 16'-18' alley is required.

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