The primary purpose of a barn is to protect your cattle from seasonal weather extremes and to provide an environment for maximum productivity. Sometimes dairy barns are designed for the convenience of the workers. However, it is wise to give consideration to how a particular building design will impact the well being of your herd.
The primary purpose of a barn is to protect your cattle from seasonal weather extremes and to provide an environment for maximum productivity. Sometimes dairy barns are designed for the convenience of the workers. However, it is wise to give consideration to how a particular building design will impact the well being of your herd.
No doubt, proper ventilation should be one of the most important guiding factors in building design. While barns provide protection from the elements, they can also produce unhealthy air quality, leading to sickness and under-performance. A comprehensive, well-planned ventilation system that delivers fresh air and natural light is crucial to the success of your dairy.
CONSIDER these factors when designing a ventilation system:
• Fresh Air Exchange
• Air Movement
• Ventilation Flexibility
• Natural Lighting
Dairy herds need a constant supply of fresh, clean air to reach their production potential. Proper ventilation requires exchanging stale barn air with fresh outside air and doing it uniformly through the facility. Give good consideration to variables such as the temperature and humidity of the outside air as well as animal population and density. These will help you establish a required air exchange rate. Air exchange can be accomplished with either a natural ventilation system or a mechanical ventilation system. Curtains that function well are an important part of a good air exchange system.
When the weather is warm and humid, you will need moving air to help wick the heat from your cows. This can be accomplished with sidewall curtains and natural breezes if your barn oriented properly and not obstructed by other buildings. While overhead fans typically provide minimal air exchange, they can help to move the air. However, overhead fans do not compensate for a properly designed ventilation system.
A good ventilation system is one that is flexible. Seasonal changes and daily weather variations require adjustment to keep the air fresh and comfortable for your dairy herd. The ability to modify airflow based on the temperatures inside or outside the barn is essential. We have the tools to help you do just that!
At Shady Lane Curtains, we understand the importance of proper ventilation and natural lighting for your herd and we are committed to helping you find the right ventilation system. We believe that our quality curtain systems are the foundation of a great ventilation system in today’s dairy barns. Whether you choose natural ventilation or tunnel ventilation or a combination of both, our curtain systems are designed with advanced hardware to function well for years.
We have curtains that work well for gables, for endwalls and for sidewalls. We provide curtains that are custom fabricated for your buildings openings. We also offer automatic curtain control systems to provide an optimum barn environment in response to weather changes. Give us a call to discuss your building ventilation project. We’d be glad to help!