FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2008
Calf and Heifer Housing Needs Reflected in New Plans Book
ITHACA—Penn State Housing Plans for Calves and Heifers (NRAES–201), a new book
published by NRAES, is based on findings from years of research and field experience.
Dairy specialists at Penn State University developed the book’s 74 plans specifically for
calf and heifer housing with the aim of increasing the comfort, productivity, and
longevity of dairy cattle. The plans show all dimensions except the dimensions of loadbearing components. These must be sized based on local conditions.
Penn State Housing Plans for Calves and Heifers ($35.00 plus S&H/sales tax; 279 pages;
January 2008) provides for individual housing for the baby calf with liquid feed, solid
feed, and water usually delivered to the pen twice a day. When a calf is successfully
consuming sufficient solid feed, plans provide for transferring her to group housing
beginning with a small weaned-calf group and graduating up through a variety of group
housing situations based on her size and the number of animals kept in a group. The plans
provide for a clean, dry living environment that accommodates health and management
needs and convenience of moving an animal from one age or size group to the next. Four
plans show how housing needs from birth to breeding age can be met in a single housing
system. Drawn for specific numbers of animals, most plans provide guidelines to
accommodate the actual number of calves and heifers on a farm. Growth charts and space
requirements for Jerseys and Holsteins from birth to pre-fresh are also included.
This 279-page, coil-bound book consists of eight plans for baby-calf shelters, hutches,
and pens; three plans for weaned-calf shelters and pens (weaning to 300 pounds); five
plans for combination baby- and weaned-calf shelters (birth to 300 pounds); eight plans
for heifer bedded-pack shelters (300 pounds to one month pre-fresh); nine plans for heifer
freestall shelters (500 pounds to one month pre-fresh); nine plans for drive-through
freestall shelters (500 pounds to one month pre-fresh); ten plans for drive-through bedded
pack and bedded pack/freestall shelters (300 pounds to one month pre-fresh); two plans
for heifer self-cleaning shelters (500 to 1,000 pounds); four plans for utility rooms; five
plans for calf and heifer housing systems; and ten plans for details, such as sidewalls,
ventilation, feed barriers, water stations, floor surfaces, and more. More information
about the book, including sample pages, can be found at WWW.NRAES.ORG.
Penn State Housing Plans for Calves and Heifers was published by NRAES (Natural
Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service), Cooperative Extension. It was authored
by Robert E. Graves, Professor, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Penn State
University; and three Regional Agricultural Engineers with Penn State Cooperative
Extension: Dan F. McFarland, York County; John T. Tyson, Mifflin County; and Thomas
H. Wilson, Crawford County.
Penn State Housing Plans for Calves and Heifers (NRAES–201) is available for $35.00
per copy (plus shipping and handling) from NRAES, Cooperative Extension, PO Box
4557, Ithaca, New York 14852-4557. You can order online at WWW.NRAES.ORG.
Shipping and handling for one copy is $6.00 within the continental United States. New
York residents, add 8% sales tax (calculated on both the cost of the publication and the
shipping and handling charges). Major credit cards are accepted, and checks should be
made payable to NRAES. For more information or a free publications catalog, contact
NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654, by fax at (607) 254-8770, or by e-mail at
NRAES@CORNELL.EDU.
If ordering from outside the continental United States, please contact NRAES; if ordering
more than one copy, contact NRAES or visit our web site at WWW.NRAES.ORG.
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Calf and Heifer Housing Needs Reflected in New Plans Book
ITHACA—Penn State Housing Plans for Calves and Heifers (NRAES–201), a new book
published by NRAES, features 74 plans specifically for calf and heifer housing with the
aim of increasing the comfort, productivity, and longevity of dairy cattle. The plans,
developed by dairy specialists at Penn State University, show all dimensions except those
for load-bearing components. Beginning with plans for individual housing for baby
calves, the book progresses through several age groups with group-housing options
designed to provide a clean, dry living environment that accommodates health and
management needs, as well as convenience of moving an animal from one age or size
group to another. There are also plans for utility rooms and building details, such as
sidewalls, ventilation, feed barriers, water stations, crossovers, freestalls, floor surfaces,
gates, and pen work. Drawn for specific numbers of animals, most plans provide
guidelines to house the actual number of calves and heifers on a farm; growth charts and
space requirements for both Holsteins and Jerseys are included.
Penn State Housing Plans for Calves and Heifers (NRAES–201) is available for $35.00
per copy (plus $6.00 shipping and handling within the continental US) from NRAES,
Cooperative Extension, PO Box 4557, Ithaca, New York 14852-4557. New York
residents, add 8% sales tax. You can order online at WWW.NRAES.ORG. For more
information or a free publications catalog, contact NRAES by phone at (607) 255-7654,
by fax at (607) 254-8770, or by e-mail at NRAES@CORNELL.EDU.
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