With an increased push for healthier and more organic balanced diets underpinning healthy lifestyles, the demand for high-quality and natural proteins has been in high demand in recent times. This has made demand surge for organic dairy products and ethically farmed beef.
To leverage this opportunity and ensure you can produce the high-quality meat and dairy products desired by today’s consumers, it’s essential to provide dairy cows and beef cattle with the best possible living conditions.
Modular cattle housing plays a critical role in ensuring commercial herds remain healthy and productive, resulting in better yields and lower expenses associated with treatments or losses due to mortality among newborn calves and animals that fall ill.
Read on and explore what features can mark a high-quality structure that provides outdoor housing for cattle and how they can improve efficiency and yields in commercial cattle farming.
Sufficient space and comfort
One of the main features of high-quality structures for cattle housing is the availability of dependable cover from the elements and abundant space for the herd to graze, rest, and move about in.
Being some of the larger animals reared as livestock, cattle need more space to move around. A cramped space can also lead to stress and injury, compromising the health and well-being of herds along with yields from the livestock operation.
Adequate ventilation
Good ventilation is essential in structures used in outdoor housing for cattle as it helps remove excess moisture and ammonia, which can become a breeding ground for pathogens, cause respiratory issues, and contribute to the spread of diseases among animals.
Ensuring there is proper ventilation within the structure also helps in regulating temperature and maintaining air quality, which can reduce the risk of cattle succumbing to diseases and illnesses while promoting optimal growth in calves.
Abundant lighting
Lighting is an often-overlooked aspect of cattle housing but is critical for encouraging growth, well-being, and natural behaviours among animals. Good lighting can also help regulate the circadian rhythm of cattle, which impacts their feeding behaviour and productivity.
Agri Span is a prime example when it comes to ensuring optimal natural lighting is available for animals, as these industry-leading structures for livestock housing come with a light strip across the roof, which can assist in maintaining natural-identical lighting within the shelter.
Non-abrasive flooring
The type of flooring in cattle housing can play a vital role in maintaining the health and well-being of herds. It is advised to avoid flooring materials that can cause injuries, such as concrete or wire mesh, and instead, opt for a non-slip and natural surface such as grass or straw bedding that’s easy to clean and disinfect.
You should also make sure that the flooring is level to prevent injuries to animals from slips and falls. High-quality, modular structures for cattle housing can help meet these requirements as they enable farmers to pen off separate areas and lay the flooring with suitable materials.
Unmatched durability
The chosen shelter should be made from sturdy materials that can withstand the elements and resist wear and tear over the long term, delivering long-term protection and saving money for farms on repairs with low maintenance requirements.
With regard to the seasonal changes in temperature and weather, the shelter should protect herds well from the elements, such as heavy rain, strong wind, snow, and hail as well as from extreme temperatures.
Agri Span uses heavy-duty galvanised steel hoops, robust PVC-coated fabric roof sheets, and 6m ground screws at each hoop to ensure the structure is able to resist the most adverse weather conditions while offering unparalleled protection against the elements for commercial herds of cattle.
Contact a reputable provider in the UK to determine the best options excelling at outdoor housing for cattle to meet your specific needs
Whether you’re running a family-owned farm or a large commercial operation, investing in the right outdoor housing for cattle can help to improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability.
Still can’t figure out what the best outdoor cattle housing options for your requirements are? Wonder no longer! Get in touch with a provider with a history of 40+ years specialising in high-quality livestock housing and storage structures to agribusinesses of all scales and sizes through a range of innovative modular structures and shelters that are manufactured entirely in the UK.
