Housing Requirements for Backgrounding Beef Cattle

Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Backgounding refers to the growing, feeding and managing of steers and heifers from weaning until they enter a feedlot and are placed on a high concentrate finishing ration. The process of backgrounding is used to control weight gains and then that cattle gain enough muscle and bone before laying down fat covering and marbling.

Housing

Housing is best kept every bit simple as possible. It may be possible to employ existing two-storey barns, machinery sheds or to build simple structures like fabric-covered buildings. A well-tuckered yard with a good windbreak may also be a suitable alternative. The main purpose of housing is to provide shelter from extreme weather conditions. However, cattle can be kept outside if they have protection from the weather.

When determining how much space is required for the backgrounding calves, consider the actual usable lying space rather than the full size of the barn. Deduct infinite needed for feeders and waterers, besides equally aisle space and space next to the feeders that is non suitable for resting. Table one shows space requirements for calves and finishing cattle.

Table ane. Housing Space Requirements

Requirements	Calves 400-800 lb (fttwo/animate being)	Finishers 800-one,200 lb (ft2/creature)
Barn Space without One thousand	20-30	30-40
Barn Infinite with M	fifteen-20	20-xxx
Exterior Paved G	40-50	50-60
Outside Earth Yard	200-250	250-500
Paved Yard without Barn	50-threescore	60-80
Earth Thousand without Barn	300-600	400-800

Feed and Water

Open surface water tanks are best for training calves. Permit ane foot of tank or waterer space for every twenty head as a good starting betoken. If energy gratuitous water bowls are used, be certain to block open the lids or assurance, then that the calves tin can see the water until they are trained.

Round bale feeders may be the near economical method of setting upward a feeding system for backgrounding calves. An 8 inch bar spacing is suitable for calves, but 800 pound cattle will require a x inch spacing. Feed space requirements for fence line feeders is shown in Tabular array 2.

Table 2. Feeder Space Requirements

Feeder Space	Calves 400-800 lb. (in/animal)	Finishers 800-1,200 lb. (in/animal)
Limit Feeding	xviii-22	22-26
Self Fed Grain	3-4	iv-vi
Cocky Fed Roughage	9-10	10-11
Max Height at Throat	eighteen	22

Ventilation

Ventilation is necessary to remove odours and gases from the barn, and supervene upon them with fresh air. In cold weather the ventilation rate is calculated to remove excess moisture and in hot weather it is calculated to remove excess heat.

Natural ventilation using existing windows and doors is preferable because of price. Natural ventilation relies on the current of air to ventilate a barn by the cross flow of air in one side and out the other, and on the fact that hot air rises. In social club for natural ventilation to work properly it is necessary to have both air inlets and frazzle openings from the barn. Windows can be used for both air inlets and air frazzle if they are adjustable and are spread evenly around the walls. Doors can as well be used if yous are careful. It is important to avoid drafts. Drafts are simply air movement that the cattle find uncomfortable. The temperature and the speed of the air movement will make up one's mind if the cattle experience a draft.

The barn must also have good exposure to the current of air. If at that place are other buildings effectually the cattle barn, or lean-tos, or a large befouled bridge, it will be hard to make natural ventilation work.

In cold weather, air exhaust openings will be needed. In a two-storey barn, hay chutes can exist used if they take an adjustable opening. Hay chutes should only exist used as a temporary fix, since they will frazzle warm moist air into the mow expanse of the befouled. If this moist air is not exhausted from the mow, information technology volition condense on roof members and eventually atomic number 82 to deterioration of the roof. The long-term solution is to install chimneys which will exhaust the air straight to the exterior. If a machinery shed is existence used, chimneys or a continuous open ridge can exist used to exhaust air.

It is better to keep cattle cold and dry than warm and damp. To go along the air fresh, open up the barn equally much every bit possible, while still decision-making drafts. This may result in freezing in the barn, just information technology is improve to have frozen manure than to close upwards the barn also much to keep it warm. The result will exist stale air and heavy air because the moisture is not being removed from the barn. If the pilus glaze becomes damp and the air is stale and moist, cattle volition be susceptible to a number of respiratory illnesses.

If the barn is not suitable for natural ventilation, it will be necessary to install i or more fans to provide for fresh air exchange.

Manure Handling

Manure will need to exist scraped from around the feeders and waterers on a regular basis to keep cattle clean. The bedded pack tin keep to build until clean out is necessary. Cattle will need nigh four lb/caput/twenty-four hours of bedding.

If an outside k is used, information technology will need to be scraped on a regular footing. Storage should exist provided for the manure, and manure and yard run-off needs to be controlled so that information technology doesn't enter surface or groundwater. Roof manure storages to prevent run-off, or incorporate run-off from the manure storage or yard in an earthen or concrete storage. It may too exist possible to treat run-off through a vegetative treatment area.

Author:	Harold 1000. House, P. Eng. – Engineer, Beefiness and Dairy Structures and Equipment/OMAFRA

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