We always wanted to get the best we could for the least amount of money. He took the same approach with the freestall barn. The stall floors consist of four old tires, surrounded by and filled with tamped red clay. As Caudle explains, this provides maximum air exchange. We didn't want solid sides because we didn't want anything to restrict air flow.
Cows are in the barn during the day and turned out onto pasture at night.
The barns were laid out to take advantage of the prevailing winds, but when the cows were moved into the new facilities late last summer, the dairymen still weren't satisfied with the ventilation. Cranfill opted for one more low-cost improvement. We didn't want any stagnant air, so I went around to some of these old chicken houses that had gone out of business and bought a dozen 36-inch fans. We installed six in each section, three per side, all pointed in the same direction. It's always cooler in here than it is outside, and you don't see the cows all stressed and panting with their tongues hanging out,' he says.