Westgen Calf Research Facility
Some special features of the Westgen Calf Research Facility:
- The Westgen Calf Research Facility provides a combination of young calf research opportunities not found elsewhere
- Construction was funded, in part, by Westgen
- This 1,035 m² building is for calves up to 11 weeks
- 24 individual calf pens
- Isolation room with five individual calf pens + separate wash up room
- Six group-pens (all in – all out)
- Two platform scales per pen
- One DeLaval FC1000 milk feeder per pen
- One DeLaval grain feeder per pen
- Two INSENTEC units per pen to measure forage and water intake
- This equipment enables researchers to continuously measure individual group-housed calf milk, water, grain and forage intake as well as body weight
- Each group pen has a slatted floor in the feeding area feeding area plus bedded pack. in the lying area
- A manure scrapper is located below slatted floor in feeding the areas
- Overhead video cameras continuously monitor individual animal or group behaviour
- A veterinary lab provides clean space for handling biological materials
- A HTST pasteurization system supplies milk for continuous milk delivery to group pens
- The building contains a visitor area with displays including life-sized mural teaching aid illustrating the steps from photosynthesis to production of nutritious food
- An Arntjen weather station controls opening and closing of curtain walls to help maintain building temperature
- Bedding storage is provided
- An office with computer work stations is provided
- Data collected by all equipment are automatically transferred to the server in the Main Building
