Fresh air

The barn looks like a geometric puzzle!  Our latest addition is a tube fan. 

This is the way it works.  The fan on the outside of the barn is attached to a plastic tube.  It blows air through the tube.

The entire length of the tube has little holes in it.  The air blows through these holes and pumps fresh air into the barn.  According to the experience of other farmers, the fresh air helps the calves not get pneumonia, be more comfortable, and as a result, grow better. 

The first calves - now that they're older - are no longer in individual pens.  Now they're in small group pens of eight.  You can see that we've removed the dividers between the pens and swung out the gates.  Now they're able to drink from the same waterer and eat the feed that we give them in the alley.

Fresh air for them, fresh air for my kids.  We're building up immunities left and right.

Fans

The first house I lived in didn't have air conditioning.  Neither did the second house I lived in, any of my dorm rooms, or any of my six apartments.  When I moved to North Carolina - THAT apartment had air.  First time!  However, it was also my first time living in a southern climate.  I hated to turn it on - I'd rather go swimming.  I think Kris turned it on twice in the year we lived there.  (But I really appreciated it in other places!) 

Our first home we bought together - no air.  Our present home - no air.  But what do we have?  Box fans!  We each have our own personal box fan in our bedrooms.  They work great. 

We recently put fans in the dairy barn for the cows, and today we started putting fans in the new calf barn.  Cattle like to be cooler than people.  The studies show they like it to be about 50 degrees.  Obviously, it's not going to always be 50 degrees in the summer, but the fans help keep it cool and comfortable.  With fans, you can definitely tell the difference just by feel, let alone a thermometer. 

It's not air, but it's close.  It's good enough for them, it's good enough for us!  We're big fans!



Adding fans to the calf barn