Appropriate to a welfare dairy husbandry an open yard, whatever optional or functional, should be a part of the barn. But in nowadays only lose houses or a farm with summer pasturing can meet this demand. Especially in tied-up stalls it is often very hard to realize, but the disadvantages of lose houses, which means the extra costs of the total costs and the extra required space, are facing some eminent advantages in respect of the animal health and the natural behavior.
The utilization of open yards is less affected by the space, but by predominant climatic situations. The main aim should be the solar irradiation of the animals in the autumn and winter months. At fortunately climatically circumstances this area can be only 2.5 square meters per cow, because the cows are standing close together in such situations.
To get enough solar irradiation in autumn and winter, you first have to find out the right orientation and place for the open yard. In the summer animals should be protected against the intensive solar radiation in the open yard.
The yearly costs of open yards are the result of the extra work and the additional investments. But there is a profit out of these investments like better health and fertility.
At new buildings an open yard can mean a decrease of the investment needs, too. This can be achieved in integrating the open yard in the concept of the barns and in using it as a link between the different functional areas. The result are more-building barns. These expensive and huge buildings compared with more-building barns, are cheaper because of less constructional demands.
The different functional parts of milking, lying and feeding areas are now linked up with an open yard. To keep costs low it is often possible to integrate already existing buildings. Finally there is to say that wherever it is possible to integrate an open yard, the farmer should do so, because there are more advantages than disadvantages.
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Appropriate to a welfare dairy husbandry an open yard, whatever optional or functional, should be a part of the barn. But in nowadays only lose houses or a farm with summer pasturing can meet this demand. Especially in tied-up stalls it is often very hard to realize, but the disadvantages of lose houses, which means the extra costs of the total costs and the extra required space, are facing some eminent advantages in respect of the animal health and the natural behavior.
The utilization of open...
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