Menu

Know How / Beef / Housing and handling

Good housing and handling systems are essential for the welfare of both beef cattle and farmers on farms. Keep up to date with new housing design and technology as well as best practice advice on good cattle flow, comfort and ventilation including tips on safe handling techniques.

Must reads

Case studies

See all

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How farm's cattle-handling revamp ups efficiency and safety

Regularly weighing cattle is central to Robert Neill’s beef operation in the Scottish Borders. Progeny from his 380-cow suckler herd are taken to finishing weight – bulls this year are…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How two farmers improved handling facilities for TB testing

TB testing can be one of the most demanding and dangerous jobs on a cattle farm, particularly in high-risk areas where frequent testing is required. Well-designed handling facilities can transform…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How cattle handling upgrade improved safety and work rate

Investing in a new cattle handling system has not just made life safer for beef farmer David Drinkwater – work is easier too. For “the price of a front axle…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How a forest grazing project doubled a suckler herd

The ability to graze thousands of hectares on the Abernethy Forest Nature Reserve, in the Cairngorms, has provided beef farmer Bobby Mackenzie with low-cost outwintering and allowed him to double…

WHATS IN YOUR LIVESTOCK SHED

Beef shed design combines low effort and high welfare

A beef housing system in Powys is designed to minimise labour, maximise animal health and welfare, and protect the farming system from increasingly frequent weather extremes. The Morris family replaced…

BEEF

How beef-specific foot health focus cut herd’s lameness risk

An on-farm review has enabled beef farmers Jonathan and Delyth Crimes to prioritise areas that will benefit foot health, resulting in easier day-to-day management and a 90% reduction in antibiotics…

Practical advice

See all

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Benefits of daily interaction with cattle to ease handling

Automating jobs such as bedding up and feeding saves labour, improves farm efficiency and can increase stock performance. Yet beef farmers are advised to be aware of unintended consequences –…

BEEF

Why farm data matters in breeding robust cows

Greater use of genetic data to support breeding decisions is key to improving suckler herd productivity and efficiency. Recording figures does two jobs, says AHDB’s lead animal genetics expert for…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

Advice on harvesting rainwater to build farm resilience

Wet days are not just a reminder of broken gutters and downpipes in need of repair. They are an ideal time to look at the potential for recycling rainwater. Calculating…

BEEF

How to use a Bud Box system to make cattle handling easier

More British farmers are adopting the “Bud Box” principle to get cattle to turn 90deg up a single-file race or into a truck. Named after the late US rancher and…

BEEF

Why it’s important to plan winter bedding now

For farmers reliant on purchased straw to bed loose-housed cattle, now is the time to consider other options and have a “Plan B” in place to reduce winter bedding costs.…

ASSESSING PERFORMANCE

Ultra-high or low frequency EID tags: Which is best?

A debate is raging about what tag technology should be used in the UK’s national cattle traceability scheme when it eventually arrives. The stand-off is between the low frequency (LF)…

Advertiser content

See all