Facilities and Technology

Find information and tips on beef cattle housing and handling facilities. Resources on ventilation systems for cattle barns and housing, biosecurity, cattle Bud Boxes, and farm lighting are also available.

Beef Cattle Barns and Housing Facilities

Good housing and handling facilities are essential for all beef cattle operations. Commonly, beef cows are housed in cattle barns, pasture systems, calf pens, free stalls, tie stalls, or dry lots.

Before building any housing facility, beef producers should consider the type of operation, the herd’s size, the layout of the pastures, and the available resources. Feedlot cattle operations, for instance, do not need extensive housing. Open-sided sheds and cattle barns, as well as enclosed structures, are typically a good option.

Housing also plays an essential role in beef cattle health. Many hoof problems are increased by environmental conditions such as constantly wet or contaminated floors. To learn more, have a look at Penn State Extension’s free webinar on preventing foot and lameness issues.

Beef Cattle Equipment

Building housing facilities requires integrating ventilation systems, space, lighting, feed, and water, as well as management practices for waste.

Ventilation Systems

Good air quality is essential for ensuring animal comfort, welfare, and productivity. Also, ventilation can help control humidity and remove odors, gases, and pathogens.

Depending on the beef operation and its resources, you can opt for natural-wind ventilation or mechanical-fan ventilation. Penn State Extension offers resources on evaluating ventilation system performance in cattle housing, designing inlets for mechanical ventilation, improving ventilation for veal calf housing, and many more.

Cattle Feeders

Typically, feedlot operations use concrete feed bunks that allow cows to feed on both sides. Bunks of treated lumber, however, can be utilized as well. The feed is delivered via a bucket loader, a mixer wagon, or a conveyor.

Watering Equipment

Water is one of the most important beef cattle nutrients. Both feedlot and grazing cattle need to have access to plenty of fresh, clean water. Producers can choose from a wide array of watering products such as field drinkers, water bowls, and troughs.

Cattle Handling Systems

Proper cattle handling equipment is necessary for restraining animals during various beef cattle management operations, such as vaccinations, castrations, body scoring, and medical treatments.

Generally speaking, the basics of a well-designed cattle handling system are catch pens, collection alleys or lane systems, crowding pens, squeeze chutes, headgates, and loading ramps.

Cattle Chutes and Loading Ramps

A cattle chute is the most important piece of handling equipment. Most cattle chutes have a similar design – (head) gate at the front, two sturdy sides (that allow access to the head and neck), and a back gate that prevents cattle from backing out of the chute.

Loading ramps are used to direct animals from the handling facilities, such as the cattle chute, to trailers and vice versa. The ramps are either portable or permanent.

Headlocks

Headlocks offer cattle producers a way to effectively handle day-to-day activities by restraining individuals or groups of animals. In addition, headlocks can reduce the time required to move cattle from the pens to the treatment areas and help better utilize feeding time and space at the feedbunk.

Catch Pens, Alleys, and Crowding Pens

Catch pens, or holding pens, are used to gather the animals before moving to a crowd pen. Catch pens can also be used in combination with gates to sort cattle into groups.

From the catch pen, cattle are moved to the crowding pen through an alley. The crowding pen has a circular or funnel design and leads the cows to the working pen/chute.

Cattle Bud Boxes

A Bud Box is a term used to describe a rectangular facility that leads cattle to a chute or a trailer area. Bud Boxes take advantage of cows’ natural instincts and can help decrease stress associated with cattle handling.

Resources on Cattle Housing and Handling Facilities

Penn State Extension provides educational resources and advice for beef cattle producers. On this page, find all there is to know about beef cattle equipment, corrals, cattle handling systems, and housing facilities.