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Polyethylene hutches offer calves the option to choose individual microclimates and avoid ultraviolet rays.
GERMANTOWN, Wis. [April 17, 2012] - A study conducted at the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine concludes that polyethylene calf hutches provide a cooler alternative to traditional housing throughout the heat of summer months.
The study was conducted by Dr. Carlos Risco, professor of food animal reproduction and medicine service at the University of Florida's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Risco's team's goal was to determine calf performance and health of livestock raised in polyethylene hutches with ridge top vents and rear adjustable door versus housing built of open wire during peak summer temperatures in Florida. Risco indicates that a primary component of the study was to determine the correlation between outside temperatures, the climate near each calf and overall calf health.
For the trial, 100 heifer calves born in June 2010 were randomly assigned to a Calf-TelŪ polyethylene hutch or a wire hutch and remained in the allocated housing until being weaned that August. Outside temperatures in Bell, Fla. averaged 80, 83 and 84 degrees F in June, July and August respectively, with an outside temperature humidity index (THI) of 78.8 percent. High temperatures for each of the months at the location of the trial were: 98, 97 and 98 degrees F, respectively. Ambient and hutch temperatures were compared and calf rectal temperatures, calf weaning weights and calf respiratory rates were collected during the three month period to measure calf performance.
The research indicated the enclosed polyethylene calf hutches offered protection from the sun throughout the day. Trial organizers state that solar rays did not penetrate the hutch and that the rear door vent and ridge top vent options were critical in preventing a greenhouse effect inside the hutches. As a result the polyethylene hutches had the coolest temperatures inside during the coolest and hottest parts of the day.
The combination of the polyethylene plastic and an ultraviolet-blocking pigment in the hutch material encouraged calves to stay inside the protected area during peak temperatures, while an outdoor option still allowed room for exercise. Risco refers to the dual-housing option provided through Calf-Tel as a "microclimate" that promotes calf comfort through individual animal choices.
Risco reports that, though respiratory rates and rectal temperatures increased in warm afternoons, calves in the Calf-Tel hutches had fewer health problems and received fewer treatments than calves housed in wire. He indicates that the cooler temperatures inside the hutches may be accountable for fewer ear problems, nasal discharge, coughing and antibiotics used than calves raised in open air wire pens.
"This research confirms the principle that all Calf-Tel housing systems are based on: calf comfort results in better performance," says Joe Weber, marketing manager of Hampel Corporation. "Calf-Tel hutches provide protection from warm climates when summer temperatures increase. Exclusive to Calf-Tel, the polyethylene plastic used to build the hutches not only offers protection against the elements, but is also built to last for decades."