The Roden Dairy Farm located in West Bend Wisconsin, is a large diversified dairy and cash crop operation. Bob, Cindy and son Rick Roden all share in the management of their dairy herd. In late 2006 the Roden’s began construction of six new custom calf barns. Every element of this process was thoroughly researched and planned out. While Bob was primarily responsible for the design, University of Wisconsin Extension personnel and veterinarian professionals were consulted in the process. The number of buildings and the size of the buildings were determined by the Roden’s management practices and their herd size. The Roden’s use an all in all out management system to prevent the transmission of bacteria from one group of calves to the next. Calves are kept in individual pens for seven weeks then the entire area is converted to group housing for five more weeks. The unique building design allows for this conversion with minimal stress on the calves. The latest technology was utilized with automated temperature controlled curtains on the buildings north walls, with manually adjusted sun and windscreens to the south. This open concept allows for ample natural ventilation.
When it came time to decide on the indoor pen system, equal scrutiny was applied to this decision. It was important that the pens address all of their calf-management needs and be labor and cost efficient. Before going with the new Calf-Tel Pen the Roden’s looked at several other options and even conducted a side by side comparison with a competitive pen at their own facility.
“We really like the Calf-Tel Pens a lot,” explains Cindy Roden. “They’re just so easy to use. There are no bars or supports across the top so you can walk right in and out. The door doesn’t drag on the ground like other pens we’ve seen and tried. The location of the bottle holder makes feeding very easy. Feeding goes very quickly, we just go right down the line.”
Calf-Tel Pens are lightweight, modular and freestanding. They’re designed to set up and clean more efficiently than any other pen system on the market today. No tools are required, the freestanding components simply connect using a stainless steel L-rod. “A single person can take down, clean and set the pens back up again. We can change the area to group housing without having to move the calves, so they experience a lot less stress,” adds Bob Roden.
“After I move the pens out of the way, cleaning out the bed packs with a skid steer is very easy because there are no poles, walls or supports to work around,” explained Rick Roden.
The Roden Dairy Farm purchased their first of seventy-five Calf-Tel Deluxe hutches in 1983. “We already own Calf-Tel hutches so we knew we were getting a quality product. If you’re looking for a pen, we recommend Calf-Tel Pens,” adds Bob Roden.
