The Constru+ Dairy Portal

The Constru+ dairy portal

The Constru+ dairy portal: your first stop for planning the construction or renovation of your dairy barn facilities .

Why invest in your dairy barn facilities?

A well-designed barn that provides a safe and comfortable environment for cattle can have a positive impact on their health and well-being, maximizing their productivity and longevity on-farm. An optimal barn design can also improve labour efficiency while promoting a safe and comfortable environment for producers and employees.  

Construction planning

Construction projects are a large investment; therefore, they must be well-planned to meet your targeted goals and minimize excessive costs. When planning your project, it is important to assess the project’s requirements and objectives.  

The following steps can help you plan and organize for your upcoming construction project: 

  • Develop a budget 
  • Set and rank your goals  
  • Collect information (ex., review relevant materials, consult advisors, attend webinars or conferences, etc.) 
  • Plan visits to other farms  
  • Check relevant legislation and regulations  
  • Define construction options and alternatives  

In the case of new construction, it is important to choose the correct site, as this can impact cost and functionality.  

Factors to consider when positioning a new building to house cattle:  

  • Topography of the site  
  • Prevailing winds  
  • Positioning of other buildings  
  • Accessibility  
  • Watercourse  
  • Water intake  
The following chapters provide ideas and recommendations for dairy cattle housing
Chapter 1 discusses options and recommendations for loose housing systems for lactating dairy cows, such as bedded packs and free-stall barns. This chapter will also review milking parlour design, alley dimensions, free-stall design, footbath design, and lighting recommendations. Options and recommendations for flooring, feeding areas, water troughs, and facilities for treatment and special needs are also included.
Chapter 2 reviews three types of traffic systems for AMS facilities: free-flow, guided-flow, and semi guided-flow. Design and layout considerations regarding the milking robot and areas for special needs are also included.
Chapter 3 reviews housing design options and recommendations for far-off dry cow pens, close-up cow pens, calving/maternity pens, and fresh cow pens. Other considerations discussed include designated dry period facilities, pen layout, water access, lighting, ventilation, and biosecurity and hygiene.
Chapter 4 reviews options and recommendations for housing heifers, including considerations and recommendations for building design, lying areas, feed bunks, water troughs, and alley dimensions. This chapter will also discuss recommendations for groupings heifer, lighting, ventilation, hoof health, breeding management, intervention considerations, and custom breeding.
Chapter 5 discusses factors to consider when designing housing systems for calves. This chapter will review housing options and recommendations for newborn calves (within the first 24 hours of life) and pre-weaned calves (from 2 days of life until weaning). Options and recommendations for housing type, feed and water equipment, bedding, lighting, handling areas, sick pens, biosecurity, and space allocation are also discussed.
Chapter 6 reviews the three main grazing patterns: continuous, rotational, and strip (intensive). This chapter will also discuss pasture management regarding soil health and forage species, outdoor rearing system considerations, feeding dairy cattle at pasture, heat stress, milking robots with grazing systems, management tools, and exercise yards.
Chapter 7 reviews the principles of ventilation and thermoregulation, including heat and cold stress, and options for evaluating ventilation systems. It will discuss options and recommendations for ventilation systems and systems to mitigate heat stress. This chapter also includes ventilation considerations for specific housing types, such as calf housing, compost bedded packs, and tie-stall housing.
Chapter 8 provides information on improvements that can be made to existing tie-stall barns. This chapter provides recommendations on stall dimensions, manger surface/feed table design, water bowl placement, lying surface options, and considerations for animal transit areas. It is a requirement in the 2023 Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle (copyright held by the National Farm Care Council and Dairy Farmers of Canada), that newly built dairy barns provide lactating and dry cows the opportunity to have social interactions and move freely, untethered on a daily basis all year round. When building a new barn, it is recommended to build a loose housing system, such as a bedded pack or free-stall barn, facilitating regular opportunities for untethered movement throughout the day, all year round.

To better understand the cost and challenges of newly constructed barns, Lactanet gathered information from 60 recently constructed dairy barns in Québec (2017-2022). Find below a list of resources on construction costs and impacts:   

  • Updated dairy barn construction costs estimate table (Coming soon)  
  • The Calf Housing Choice Guide and the Dry Cow Housing Choice Guide are designed to support you through your calf and dry cow housing decisions. These two guides contain important considerations, expert-derived ratings, and cost estimates with default values to help you get started. The guides are also fully customizable to account for each farm’s unique preferences, circumstances, and financial factors.  Guides are available through the Canadian Dairy Hub, a unique platform that provides access to educational resources and knowledge transfer opportunities related to the dairy industry. Developed by Lactanet and made possible by funding from Dairy Farmers of Canada through the National Dairy Knowledge Transfer Project, the Canadian Dairy Hub offers valuable resources.  

 
Determining space requirements specific to your new barn is important. The Dairyland Initiative. School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed tools to help calculate space requirements, such as calf barn size (English only) and transition cow pen size: Tools – The Dairyland Initiative 

 
To learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of different types of bedding you can consult the following factsheet prepared as part of the training program “Solutions to combat climate change in cattle and forage production.” Project funded through the Programme d’appui à la lutte contre les changements climatiques en agriculture, under the 2013-2020 Climate Change Action Plan: Factsheet on bedding materials 

  • To take the free online course, click: Here


For information about animal care criteria, from cattle housing to cattle assessment and staff training, visit proAction – Resources for the Animal Care module 

For information on Canada’s national animal care requirements and recommended practices, please see the Dairy Code of Practice 2023 – National Farm Animal Care Council. For specific information on dairy cattle housing, see Section 2 Facilities and Housing in the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle.  

Calf Housing Decision Support Tool

Calf Housing Choice Guide and Dry Cow Housing Choice Guide are tools designed to help evaluate calf and dry cow housing options and support informed decisions by comparing technical features and estimated construction costs. These guides are available through the Canadian Dairy Hub.

Factsheets Videos Participating Farms

For more information on participating farms, please click here.

This project is funded by the Sectoral Development Program under the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership between the governments of Canada and Québec.