The farm houses a herd of approximately 35 Pinzgauer cows and their calves. In summer the animals are kept on pasture, in winter they're housed in loose housing on straw bedding. The feeding consists of grass silage.
In the middle of the loose housing barn an area was installed that can only be entered by calves. Therefore a construction of metal panels was installed between the two groups of suckler cows. The calves can enter the area through a gap in the panels only big enough for calves till the age of approximately three months to pass. Older calves and cows are too big to fit through the gaps. The calves use the extra pen to rest, to play with each other and, most importantly, to consume extra feeding of calf-concentrate. Thus the calves get used to the intake of solid food early and the average daily gain is higher due to the extra intake of energy. Another benefit of the calf clot is the possibility to close the entrances and seperate certain calves for example for insertion of ear tags or veterinary examination and treatment without having to take care of the suckler cow who wants to defend her calf. Due to the extra feeding the rearing period is shorter, breeding maturity is reached quicker by female heifers, the male heifers can be slaughtered earlier or with higher weight. Thus the production efficiancy and environmental sustainability profit as well.