Deep litter barn
A deep litter barn is a barn in which the cattle or pigs eat, move and lie within a non-separated area that is strewn with straw . There is no separation of urine and faeces, so that cattle with a straw requirement of around three tons per livestock unit and year and pigs with around nine tons per livestock unit and year are expected.
A further development is a stable compartment on two levels, which are connected by a staircase. The animals lie on the lower level and can use the stairs to reach the upper level, where they can eat. Little by little, the lower level becomes higher and higher through the dung from the animals and new litter until it has reached the level of the upper level. Now the farmer has to muck out the barn and the cycle starts all over again . The upper level is cleared daily and there the urine is drained separately into a pit . This reduces the need for straw.
Web links
- Structure, advantages and disadvantages of deep litter stalls , University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
- Image deep litter barn
Individual evidence
- ↑ Straw requirement according to KTBL (accessed on July 28, 2013) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 40 kB).
