EQUIPMENT ▶▶▶
Ins and outs of farm facilities and equipment
Farm facilities and equipment should be properly selected and managed to make the most of them in functional and economic terms.
BY DR SALAH ESMAIL H
ere we consider the most commonly used facilities and equipment and the benefits of managing them properly for improved animal health and production.
Feeding facilities Competition among dairy cattle for feed space may cause stress, production losses and health issues. The provision of an adequate feed space (70–75 centimetres per cow) can help alleviate these problems. Also, the feed table surface needs to be easy to clean and keep clean. It should be noted that silage is an acidic feed and will erode plain concrete feed table surfaces. Surfaces like tile, poly, stainless steel and even some concrete additives are resistant to the acid and will keep the feed table smooth after years of use. The feed bar- rier, which might be a post and rail, should allow the cows easy access to the feed in front of them. Cows may exert 225 kilogrammes of pressure against the barrier to reach feed, while only 100 kg of pressure can cause tissue damage to their necks and shoulders. The rail needs to be high enough for animals to easily reach under it for their feed. This height is often set at 120 cm above the cows’ front feet and 10–20 cm ahead of the feed curb.
Fan 1
Rock storage Fan 2 16 Fresh air inlet Heating
The intensification of dairy farming has exerted a great influ- ence on energy use in many parts of the world. This has forced a search for alternative energy sources, such as solar power, to help solve the energy problem and meet the re- quirements of the farm. Figure 1 shows the basic components of a solar heating system that could be used for animal hous- es. Simply, the sun’s rays are collected in a rock, which has a high thermal capacity to store heat for a while. Heat is then transferred to the house through the duct system in a con- trolled amount to meet the heat requirement of animals. Considerable savings can be made in fuel consumption – up to 77% in winter and 71% in summer.
Plastic ducts Barn
Cooling and ventilation In poorly ventilated barns, fans can reduce relative humidity and improve air quality. Airspeed of a minimum of 2 metres/ second on the animal is necessary in this case. A new and ef- fective way of guaranteeing good ventilation in the barn is to use overpressure tube ventilation. Fans are connected to an air hose, and the fresh air is sucked in from outside while the poor quality air is forced out of existing openings such as windows and doors by overpressure. Tubes make it possible to regulate airspeed precisely without causing drafts at head height and to transport fresh air to exactly where it is needed. Cooling improves cows’ fertility and positively influences their lifespan. In one study, cooled cows had significantly higher conception rates than non-cooled cows (57% and 17% re- spectively). Pregnancy rates calculated for 90, 120 and 150 days after calving differed significantly between the two groups (44%, 59% and 73% versus 5%, 11% and 32% in
▶DAIRY GLOBAL | Volume 7, No. 4, 2020
Collector
PHOTO: HANS PRINSEN
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28
