P.V. NARSIMHA RAO TELANGANA VETERINARY UNIVERSITY
RAJENDRANAGAR,HYDERABAD
Housing of Animals

Selection of Site
  • The farm area should be free from water logging.
  • Sufficient exposure to sunlight;
  • Sufficient trees in surroundings for fresh air;
  • Should have access to all weather road;
  • Should have sufficient water supply;
  • Should have access to electricity;
  • Surroundings should be less noisy and less polluted;
  • There should be sufficient land for fodder cultivation on in the farm premises according to number of animals reared.

Housing Systems
Conventional Housing
Under this system, cows are housed throughout the day and night inside a stall and are provided all required feed and water inside the stall. Animals are not allowed to graze in the open fields at any part of the day. Animals are reared in single or double row in this system
Single row
This type of tying is preferred when the animals are less than 20.Manger is constructed along a side along a side parallel to the length of shed.
Double row
If animals are more than 20 kept in two rows, they could be arranged in two different patterns: Head to head and tail to tail
Head-to-head
Head of one animal faces the head of another placed in the other side of the row.Drain is constructed along the wall of the shed and feeding and water trough is constructed along the central line.
Tail to tail
Tail of one animal faces the tail of another placed in other side of the row.Feeding and water troughs are constructed along the wall on either side of the shed and drain is constructed along the central passage.
Loose Housing System
Floor Space Requirements
Feeding alley 0.75 M
Manger 0.45M
Standing space 1.5 -1.7 M
Gutter 0.2 M
Central passage 1.5-1.8 M
Width 1.05 -1.20 M
Tying style
Head to Head Tail to tail
Wall wall
Milking passage Feeding alley
Channel Manger
Standing space Standing space
Manger Gutter
Feeding passage Central passage
Manger Standing space
Standing space Manger
Channel Feeding alley
Milking passage Wall
Wall
B2 Loose housing system
  • Animals are kept loose in open paddock throughout the day and night except at milking time.
  • Open paddock is provided with shelter along one side under which animals can retire during inclement weather.
  • Water is provided in common tank and fodder is fed in common manager.
  • It is easier to construct and flexibility in utility.
Floor space requirements
Type of animals Floor space requirement (m2) Maximum number animals/pen Height of shed at eves(cm)
Covered area Open area
Cows 3.5 7.0 50 175 in medium and heavy rainfall areas and 220 in semi-arid & arid areas
Down calves 12.0 12.0 1
Young calves 1.0 2.0 30
Older calves 2.0 4.0 30
Bulls 12.0 120.0 1
Buffaloes 4.0 8.0 50
Feeding/Watering space requirements
Type of animal Space/animal(cm) Total manger length/100 animal Water trough length//100 animal Manger/water trough dimensions (cm)
Width Depth Height
Adult cattle & buffalo 60-75 6000-7500 600-750 60 40 50
Calves 40-50 4000-5000 400-500 40 15 20
B2-bHousing specifications
Flooring
Floor should be hard, impervious to water and easy to clean.
The floor shall have gradient of 1 in 40 to 1 in 60 towards towards the drains so that wash water can run into drains easily.
Types of Floor Material Roofing
Types of floor material and their attributes
S.No. Type of floor Attributes Images
1 Concrete Easy to clean, best but costliest.The surface of cement floors can be roughened by imprinting the impression of piece of expanded material on the surface while concrete is still moist
2 Earthen Easy to maintain, warmer, soaks urine, comfortable and require less bedding
3 Moorum or Kankar floors Cheapest but require constant maintenance Suitable for open pens
4 Brick on edge Suitable in rural areas and very common in small and medium sized farms
5 Stone slabs It is common in southern part of India.
Roofing
Roof should be light, strong, durable, weatherproof and a bad conductor of heat.
Flat roofs are preferred in dry and low rainfall areas
Sloping roofs are desirable in medium to heavy rainfall areas.
Roofing material & Height
Types of roofing material and their attributes
S.No. Type of floor Attributes Images
1 Thatch
Readily available locally and cheap.
Good insulator but requires frequent replacement.
Unhygienic and Easily catches fire.
2 Asbestos cement Light, Non corrosive and insulating
3 Tiles/slates Difficult to fix and require heavy supporting structure.
4 Wood Good insulator but liable for fire risk and is quite costly
5 GI and aluminium sheets
Easy to fix, durable, hygienic
Fire resistant and cheaper in long run
Height
The height of the roof depends upon the agroclimatic conditions
In general, the height at eves should be 2.5 o 3.0 Metres and centre should be 6 M
Overhand should be 3 to 4 feet to give full protection from inclement weather.

Cleaning Disinfection
  • Under normal conditions daily scrubbing and washing of houses and the action of sunlight falling in the houses are sufficient enough to keep them moderately germ free
  • All floors, walls upto the height of 1.5 metres, interior of mangers, water troughs and other fittings coming into contact with animals are all to be disinfected.
  • Foot bath at the entrance of the farm should be present and filled with germicidal solution for disinfection of trespass vehicles and animal feet.