We’ve reached the time of year when curtains are drawn tight throughout calf and heifer barns. While this might help keep the brisk winter breeze at bay, it does prevent one of the most crucial aspects to any barn design from happening – air flow.
During the warmer months, natural ventilation can be an advantage because it is more economical and keeps air moving throughout the building. When old man winter comes to visit, however, the frigid temps can be too much for calves to bear.
During a podcast presented by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, David Kammel, a biological system engineering professor at UW-Madison and Vicky Lauer, a professional services veterinarian at Animart, touched on two things to consider when installing positive pressure ventilation systems in calf and heifer barns.
1.) Work with People Who’ve Been Trained
“Since calf barns are becoming much more common now and popular—just because people want to work in better conditions during the winter—positive pressure ventilation systems are becoming much more important,” Lauer says.
When designed properly, fresh air from the outside is evenly distributed around the barn and exits passively through the typical ridge and eave openings. This positive pressure tubing system (PPTV) should deliver fresh air to the calf without causing a draft. However, if they are installed incorrectly, the fresh air may never make it to the animals, which could result in a slew of respiratory issues.
“These systems should be designed [and installed] by professionals who’ve been trained,” Lauer says. “I pretty commonly see systems that are designed by say the builder and unfortunately sometimes they don’t work.”
When installing PPTVs, reach out to your local dairy extension agent for recommendations on trained manufactures and installers.
2.) Size Matters
When it comes to the length of the tubing and the diameter of the holes, sizing is crucial to nail down the perfect amount of air flow for these animals.
“Probably the worst problems I see are [where] the system was designed and there’s a fan, there’s a tube, but it’s the incorrect size,” Kammel says. “Then the farmers are a little discouraged because [the system] isn’t working right and the air quality isn’t what they thought it might be.
Unfortunately, there is not a “one size fits all” ventilation system for producers to utilize. Therefore, when it comes to installing PPTVs, the diameter and spacing of the holes have to be specifically designed for each building. While this customization might sound like a big “ka-ching,” today’s modern PPTV systems are relatively inexpensive and require modest electricity for operation.
