building the cow's box stall - any advice?

[cathleenc]

We're getting a calf (sex unknown) in a few weeks, heifer is fully dilated and uddered up - our neighbor wants to move the heifer over to our barn next week to calf here.

DH is busy at work building out a box stall for cow/calf inside the barn. Still time for changes - any advice?

Barn box stall looks to be 10' x 15', doorway planned at 4.5'. Building it super super super sturdy to hold up to be leaned on.

Our dairy farmers say nothing special is needed.

Any advice? Suggestions? Must do's we need to know before it's too late?

thanks
Cathy

our calf will be 1/4 fullsize jersey, 1/4 fullsize holtein, 1/2 old world jersey.

[Callieslamb]

Put easy to use latches on the gates, lights and water! I have a barn with some great stalls - lined with 2x6 solid oak boards. Solid, as in can't drive a nail into them and have to prestart screws!

I would separate the water from feed trough so they don't foul their water as often. What is on the floor?

I wish we had a window or two.....for some natural daylight

[copperhead46]

If you're going to keep them in there for a few days, you will need a feed trough and a waterer of some kind. If it's just for the birthing, nothing special is needed, just some peace and quiet. You might think about some lighting, in case you need to work in the dark, seems like thats when things want to go wrong.
P.J.

[cathleenc]

sorry for the delay in responding, been battling to keep a very very sick puppy alive.

The cow/calf will be in the stall leading up to the birth - the cow goes home 3 days later - and the calf stays. The stall will be the calf's indoor home during winter and during nights.

DH has worked like crazy all weekend on it - gotta pour cement to fill old gutters/holes in the floor sometime during the next two days and build a gate still.

No lights directly over the stall but there are lights in the center barn aisle.

How much water does a cow need? Will a 5 gallon bucket suffice?

How high off the ground should a cow hayfeeder be? On the ground? How high should the sides be? How much hay should it ideally hold for a cow/calf combo? (thinking ahead to 2 years from now, might as well build to last) Any 'tricks' to building the hay trough/holder that helps prevent hay waste?

thanks,
Cathy

[Jay]

Calves can drink from a 5 gallon bucket, but cows need more than that. Plus they can't get their head all the way in to get what is in the bottom. Cows drink 10-20+ gallons of water a day.

As for hay waste--that is a cow for you. It's normal. Some cows eat a bale a day, some more, some less. Depends on the breed, etc etc. If you build the feeder with "V" slats to put their heads into helps cut down on the waste. (Shaped like a "V"--smaller at the bottom than the top at the opening.)

[Up North]

Originally Posted by cathleenc

DH has worked like crazy all weekend on it - gotta pour cement to fill old gutters/holes in the floor sometime during the next two days and build a gate still.






thanks,
Cathy

I will suggest an alternative to pouring cement. If one fills the gutters and holes with sand and then lay in a 6 inch deep layer of sand, you will have better results.
The issue is traction. A newly calved heifer or cow may be weak and shaky.
Even if concrete is covered with bedding material, the newly calved heifer or cow may not have the traction to rise easily on concrete. If she struggles at all, she may give up and be unable or unwilling to rise to her feet. If she struggles and moves about she may scrub and damage teats, udder,or scrape up her hocks.
Sand provides excellent traction, and is a cushioning surface for cow's underside. It is, short of pasture sod, the first choice for cow comfort. It remains cool during hot weather.
It eliminates the need of additional bedding.
Concrete may be convenient to humans for cleaning, but it is often the demise of first calf dairy heifers.
A sand stall can be maintained by using a garden rake to rake out cowpies and adding a few shovels of clean sand periodically.

As to water, the average dairy cow drinks a bathtub full every day, more in hot weather. 5 gallon buckets usually get tipped over and create wet bedding.

Gates should always be designed for easy quick release in the event of a barn fire.

[cathleenc]

Up North, the cement is to fill the holes in the existing cement floor. Old dairy barn where the original wood laid in the original cement has rotted out leaving holes in the oddest places.

Dairy neighbor is bringing a large empty mineral tub for us to use for water for awhile. I figure the heifer will be here maybe 2 weeks max - and the calf will grow slowly enough to give us time to adjust our systems as needed.