Loose housed barn

Typically, loose housed systems have soft bedding or slatted concrete, often with rubber matting or soft bedding on top. A well-designed loose-housed facility can enhance feed efficiency and herd management when used effectively. It helps protect pasture and pugging during wet conditions and reduces overgrazing pressure in dry conditions, ultimately supporting greater pasture production. Compared to paddock feeding, supplement utilisation is often more efficient within the facility, reducing wastage.

As weather patterns become more unpredictable and extreme, off-paddock solutions, like loose-housed facilities, can lessen the reliance on winter crops, helping mitigate environmental and animal welfare risks by providing greater flexibility in managing feed, protecting pastures, and ensuring consistent production.

There are opportunities to utilise the nutrients in the used bedding by applying to crop land or pasture. Farm maintenance costs can be reduced through less paddock renovations following pugging or herd and machinery traffic.

Limitations

Limitations of a loose-housed facility with soft bedding could include:

• significant capital investment and increased building and machinery repairs and maintenance.
• being more reliant on bringing in or growing quality supplements and supplementary feed costs are typically greater than pasture or crops.
• reliance on a good quality source of bedding e.g woodchips.
• additional consents required and additional activities to manage effluent and bedding from the facility.
• potential for increased regulatory attention with odour emissions and community complaints if the bedding and manure is not handled well.

Limitations of a loose housed system with slatted concrete could include:

• significant capital investment and increased building repairs and maintenance.
• concrete slats are not suited to long periods of use and herd lameness could increase.
• not suitable for calving unless there is additional bedding provided and enough room for cows to separate themselves to give birth.
• your business may be more reliant on bringing in or growing quality supplements and supplementary feed costs are typically greater than pasture.
• additional consents required and additional activities to manage effluent from the facility.

Design considerations

Loose-housed facilities require careful design considerations. Consider the location in relation to herd access, it needs to be convenient but also close to feed storage and other facilities. Consider the prevailing wind direction and sun. Roofed structures require structural engineering to ensure it can stand up to the elements. Consider what type of consents may be required.

If the facility is being used to provide part or all the herd’s daily feed ration, a dedicated feeding area should be available, along with a well-planned feed supply system, including access to grain, silage, and other supplements. If supplementary feeding is increased, ensure there is adequate feed bunker space and suitable machinery to handle the additional volume. It’s important to consider how the feeding lane will be cleaned and managed to prevent a build-up of muck, ensuring good hygiene and cow comfort. Minimising traffic movements between feeding and storage areas will improve efficiency and reduce wear on infrastructure.

Ensuring the correct area allocation and adequate feed face per cow is essential for animal welfare and efficient feeding. As a guideline , a minimum of 9 m2 per cow is recommended for facilities used over extended periods such as during winter, with at least 70 cm of feed face per cow. To calculate the specific feed face requirements for your operation, see the Dairy cow housing guide.

Consider how you will manage the effluent from the facility, including its removal and application. Liquids leaching through bedding should enter an effluent system. Consider where you will store new and old bedding and what cleaning policies will need to be in place.

Case studies indicate that once a facility is built, many farmers increase cow numbers and levels of supplementary feeding. Costs of feeding supplements is typically 1.5x per purchase cost of feed per kg.

Cow comfort in loose-housed barns

Cows housed in off-paddock facilities for more than 16 hours a day, for more than three consecutive days, must have access to a well-drained lying area with a soft, compressible surface. Cow comfort is crucial for maintaining body condition, overall well-being, and productivity. Lying down is essential for cows. It allows them to rest, sleep, and helps prevent lameness, all of which contribute to better animal welfare.

Cow cleanliness

Clean cows are a good indicator of proper cow comfort and welfare, as they naturally prefer to lie on clean, dry, and comfortable bedding. Overstocking in loose-housed areas increases the amount of dung and urine per square meter, making it harder for bedding to stay dry. Different bedding materials vary in absorbency - damp wood products, poorly managed straw, or insufficient bedding can create wet lying and uncomfortable lying areas. Dirty passageways can also cause cows to splash effluent onto their legs. To maintain cow cleanliness, regularly scrape concrete passageways and feeding areas to keep effluent levels low.