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Calving pen
A good calving pen is needed for each pen and/or farm type; calf rearing starts here!
The calving pen may be in the form of a box with a straw-covered floor, or a stall.
Some guidelines:
- box: dimensions min. 3.5 m wide and 3 to 5 m deep
- floor slope 2 cm per metre for good drainage of muck water (stale liquid manure)
- stall: dimensions 1.20 to 1.25 m wide and 1.60 to 1.65 m deep
- slurry channel for dung and urine 0.80 to 1.00 m wide and running path 1.60 m wide
- just before birth, lay down a thick layer of straw. The slurry channel should be covered with, for example, a rubber mat
- after each calving, the box should be cleaned thoroughly, disinfected and dried (throw lime). Spread a new quantity of clean straw before calving.
 the calving pen should ideally be a separate area, accommodated in the pen with the other cows- a calving pen should NEVER be used as a sickness pen
- number of required calving places: 4% of the number of dairy cows
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