Cool Room Tips

[6M Ranch]

Going to build a cool room this winter.  Any tips would be appreciated.  How large, what size cooling unit, bedding, fresh air, etc.  Thinking large enough for 6 - 8 head.  What brushing, rinsing, feeding, watering protocols while they're in the room?  I've seen some people tie them up, let them run loose, or a combination of the two. 

 

[KDSC]

For bedding I would use mulch. I would let them run free in there, so they wont get too stiff. I think for 8 calves the room would need to be a 50x12. For a room that big I would say contact Cool calf, for one of their drop in units. even with a cooler room you still need to rince a couple times a day. I would say wash them then put tehm in the cooler and feed, and then water, and then water another 3 times while they are in the cooler, and at like 2pm wash them again, and then at 6pm feed them.

 

[bullboy62]

For bedding I would use mulch. I would let them run free in there, so they wont get too stiff. I think for 8 calves the room would need to be a 50x12. For a room that big I would say contact Cool calf, for one of their drop in units. even with a cooler room you still need to rince a couple times a day. I would say wash them then put tehm in the cooler and feed, and then water, and then water another 3 times while they are in the cooler, and at like 2pm wash them again, and then at 6pm feed them.

 

[bullboy62]

I'm new here so you'll need patience.  I have a building that I'm thinking of remodeling for a cool room.
I am trying to check out if it is feesable to going into "custom calf cooling".  There are some smaller producers in the area that may want the service.
What would be a fair price per calf?  I know it is a lot of work. I have two kids who want summer jobs.  Or am I just plain nuts for even thinking of doing it?

 

[KDSC]

Its a good idea, it is hard work, how many calves doi you think your building can handle, or how big is your building??

 

[bullboy62]

It has two rooms 26x50.  It is a cement building with foot thick sandwitch walls with 6in of insulation. It was a farrowing barn. 
I'm guessing 8-10 calves/room.  The flooring is a major question to figure out.

 

[KDSC]

Oh ok, I would say you could get about 15 per room, each calf needs about 75 sq feet. But if I was you, I would mak e12x50 for the claes and then 12x50 for grroming chutes, fans, a wash bay, and everything else, so you can do everything inside the buildings, but if you are doing even 20 calves you are going to need some help. I sure hope you have a lot of fans, grooming chutes, and blowers ;D Where are you located?

 

[bullboy62]

I am in South Dakota.  We had -21 last week and +35 today.  What would you do with the floor?  There are gutters in the floor where the farrowing crates used to be.

 

[KDSC]

Ok well not sure how your hog house is set up but most have a vat does yours??? are the floors cement? are the gutter at the frotn or back of the farrowing crates? Sorry I just had a dumb moment if the hog house has gutters it isn tgoing to have a vat under the crates also ))

 

[bullboy62]

The gutter is 4ft from the outside wall.  I was thinking of covering it with some kind of slats that would let the urine soak through but hold the bedding out.
I checked out Cool Calf that seems to be a good source of info.

 

[KDSC]

YEha I owuld use either mulch or maybe sand, I have seen a couple coolers with sand in them but dont know how that would work with a gutter. I would deffintaly add a wash rack inside one of those building