Comfy Calf Suites Indoor Pen - Post Style
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Stationary Style Comfy Calf Suites
The post style calf suite is ideal for use in barns where group penning is desired. The posts from which the gates hang are lagged into a concrete base and remain in place all of the time. This allows you to pull out the odd panel to make larger pens and to group a few calves together after they are weaned but before they get moved to larger group pens. Studies have shown that this social integration on a small scale benefits the calves by facilitating the transition to an even larger group pen. Removing panels also gives you the ability to clean out an entire row of pens all at once with a skid loader while leaving the posts and front gates in place.
THE TRUSTED SOLUTION TO RAISING CALVES INDOORS
- No more feeding calves outside. Comfy Calf Suites makes feeding easier.
- Calves are easier to see in the Comfy Calf Suites compared to enclosed shelters.
- Better air quality improves the health of your calves.
- Plastic dividers isolate each calf, keeping your calves healthy.
- Dividers remove quickly and easily when required. Cleaning is simple and removal of dividers makes group penning an option as your calves mature.
- Various sizes and options available.
When i was building my calf barn i was looking for a sturdy product that makes it easier to keep an eye on my calves body conditions. The Comfy Calf Suites weren’t flexible or flimsy like the other kinds and they make the calves more visible than hutches.
– Mike Buechel, 50 head calf barn, New Holstein Wisconsin
“The Comfy Calf Suites are light weight, easy to use and clean. Easy to change accessories around and change to group housing as they calves age. Our calf health has improved since installing the Canarm AgSystems pens.”
–Andrea Brossard, 62 head calf barn, Beaver Dam Wisconsin
“[We] Looked at several different options. Settled on the Canarm [Comfy Calf Suites] because they were very easy to assemble, easy to clean, very rugged, calf friendly, a lot of space...The original panels are still in excellent condition. if we clean them up, they look just like new, so we’ve been really happy with them. i really can’t fault them in any way. We’ve been super happy.”
-Greg Busch, Bumble B Dairy, Cuba City Wisconsin
University of Minnesota
After many years of housing calves in outdoor hutches, the University of Minnesota's calf and heifer experts decided to bring operations indoors.
Built in 2004, the site includes two single-trussed, naturally ventilated barns with curtain sides. Each barn has two rooms with space for 40 calves per room or a total of 160 individual indoor calf pens. About eight hundred calves (two to 200 days of age) flow through the facility each year. The calves are owned by commercial dairy operations and eventually join milking herds. About half the animals are subjects in nutrition, management and health studies. However, the university's emphasis is to manage the calves so all information is directly applicable to commercial farms.
Dr. Hugh Chester-Jones (shown in photo), a UM associate professor in animal science who oversees the facility, says his team's selection of Comfy Calf Suites was based on wanting the flexibility to efficiently tear down pens between calf groups and also durability. He says he liked Comfy Calf Suites' solid panel design, built to hold up under wear and tear from calves and every day management. Cleaning ease was also an important factor in choosing this pen design. "It power washes nicely, cleans up well and dries between calf groups," says Dr. Chester-Jones.
Observation is also efficient. "You can walk by very quickly and observe calves in the pens," Dr. Chester-Jones adds. "If there is a calf that is sick, you can easily open up the door and go inside, and look at the calf closely and take its temperature."
With two years of experience with Comfy Calf Suites, Dr. Chester- Jones reports, "It is a very easy pen to manage."
Get up close and personal with our Comfy Calf Suites. Experience Superior Calf Comfort for yourself in 360˚!
Take our self guided Comfy Calf Suite Virtual Tour - Explore 360˚ of our calf barn at your own pace.
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EASY TO INSTALLComfy Calf Suites’ plastic planks are interlocking. You just snap them together to create side panels that are 41" or 51" (104.14 or 129.54cm) in height. Once your posts are in place (either stationary style or removable hoop style are available), drop in the front gate, mount a channel to the back wall and slide in the panel. Then simply pin the panel to the channel and you are done! |
ERGONOMIC DESIGNWith Comfy Calf Suites there’s no more climbing over gates or straining under the roof of a hutch to feed, dehorn, treat or observe calves. The galvanized spindle gates at the front of the stall allow you to easily monitor each calf’s condition. When you want to enter the stall, the gate can be operated with one hand and it swings in or out. The two-way self-closing latch secures the gate behind you.
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STRESS-FREE GROUPINGThere’s no moving of animals when you want to switch calves to group pens. Simply remove the side panels and instantly create an open space for housing a group of six, eight or even ten calves (limited by the number of stalls in the row.) This provides a simple step-up phase to larger groups. Calves are exposed to increased social interaction in a controlled environment. |
HEALTHY CALVESComfy Calf Suites' dividers are non-porous so, unlike plywood dividers, they aren’t likely to harbor diseases. Calves are close together, yet remain isolated to prevent the spread of disease. There’s zero nose-to-nose contact with the extended front design. Air moves easily through the pen’s open top and front, producing a healthy environment. Vented back wall allows fresh air to flow through, removing airborne organisms, dust, odors and excess moisture. Lower panels of the vented back wall also allow calves to nest during colder temperatures. |
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LABOR AND SPACE SAVINGSUnlike calf hutches, which inefficiently spread calves out over large areas, Comfy Calf Suites are together in a row. Maintain more calves in less floor space and minimize the distance you carry feed and other supplies.
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DURABILITYComfy Calf Suites are built tough to house calves up to 8-10 weeks of age. The 10” (25.40 cm) deep interlocking plastic panels are a full 2” (5.1 cm) in width with intermediate reinforcements inside to add strength. Heavy hot-dipped galvanized steel is used to construct the front spindle gates, posts and bucket brackets. Stainless steel panel channels and back wall brackets are designed for maintenance-free durability. |
EASY, LABOR EFFICIENT CLEANINGComfy Calf Suites dramatically decrease the amount of time and effort spent on cleaning pens vs. some alternatives. Simply slide away the dividing side panels and zip through with a skidsteer for a fast, easy clean-up. Plastic panels can be power-washed and they dry quickly, too.
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EASILY ADAPTABLE FOR VARIOUS FACILITIES Comfy Calf Suites have a versatile design and can be set up in many types of facilities.
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