Calf Barn Ventilation Audits: Is Your Barn Working as It Should?

Ventilation plays an important role in creating a healthy environment for young calves. But good ventilation is about more than simply having fans running or air moving through the barn. Air exchange, distribution, air speed, temperature, humidity and ammonia all work together to influence the calf’s microenvironment.

That’s why Mapleview Agri is offering Calf Barn Ventilation Audits to help producers take a closer look at the conditions inside their calf facilities.

What is included in a Calf Barn Ventilation Audit?

During an on-farm audit, the Mapleview team will evaluate several aspects of the calf barn environment:

Barn fogging
A visual demonstration of airflow helps identify potential dead air zones and inconsistencies in how air is moving throughout the facility.

Anemometer recording
Air speed is measured at Positive Pressure Tube outlet holes, as well as air movement at calf level. This helps assess how effectively fresh air is being delivered without creating excessive drafts.

Humidity analysis
Humidity can provide important information about the barn environment and moisture removal. Relative humidity between 50–70% is identified as the ideal range for enclosed calf housing in Mapleview’s ventilation reference material.

Ammonia detection
Ammonia levels are measured as part of the audit. Mapleview’s reference guidelines identify less than 10 ppm as acceptable and less than 5 ppm as ideal.

From measurements to practical recommendations

The audit is designed to provide more than a set of numbers. Following the farm visit, a summary report outlining key observations from the audit will be prepared and provided to the producer, veterinarian or nutritionist. Potential recommendations may also be included for consideration.

Why evaluate ventilation?

Young calves spend a significant amount of time in their housing environment, making the conditions inside the calf barn an important consideration as part of an overall calf management program.

A ventilation audit provides an opportunity to look at these factors together and better understand what is happening inside your calf barn.

Interested in an audit for your calf barn?

Calf Barn Ventilation Audits are available for existing and potential Mapleview clients.

Talk to your Mapleview dealer to learn more or contact:

Luke Michalek
Business Development Manager
luke@mapleviewagri.ca | 519-504-3877