Rearing pen

After a stay of approx. 14 days in the individual boxes, the calves are moved to the rearing pen. Group penning can be best applied here, with groups consisting of four to six calves in uniform groups. A hay rack, concentrate trough and drinking trough (or nipple) are needed for every pen. If milk is supplied through a calf bar, one nipple is sufficient per group of three or four calves. The four feedstuffs (milk, water, roughage and concentrates) should be placed close to each other.

Options for group housing:

Group pen with straw

• pen surface area per calf ± 2.5 m2 (the standard is 1.5 m2, but in practice this is too small)
• self-feed rack 35 to 40 cm wide per calf
• depth of pen 300 to 350 cm
• a leak-proof partition wall of 1.20 m high between the group pens

Group pen with a common bed

• pen surface area per calf ± 1.5 m2
• raised bed against the rear wall of the pen
• protected area for eating and free movement with grille floor (mesh width 3 cm)
• depth bed 1.6 m
• slope, from bed to the mesh grille floor, of 3 cm per metre
• rear wall of bed 12 cm above the grill
• depth of covered yard 2 m
• the self-feed rack needs to be 35 to 40 cm wide per calf

Group pens with lying boxes

• dimensions should be the same as in the case of group pens with bed
• lying boxes instead of collective bed
• dimensions of lying boxes: 0.5 – 2 months: 70 x 130 cm   and    2 – 4 months: 80 x 160 cm