Suckler cow husbandry is the breeding of beef cows or dual-purpose cows by crossbreeding with beef or dual-purpose breeds for the purpose of raising calves for meat production. We do not milk these cows. The milk is for feeding and raising her own calf, and sometimes for another calf. Due to the relatively hilly terrain and the resulting poorer quality of feed, there are more and more farms in Slovenia dedicated to raising suckler cows, as they are less demanding in breeding than dairy cows. Based on the questionnaire "Development of sustainable concepts for construction and equipment of barns - for suckler cows", we obtained data on the housing systems of suckler cows on 31 Slovenian farms keeping suckler cows. In practice, tied-in stalls with a manure channel with or without a manure pedal for the removal of animal excreta, free stalls with deep straw bedding and wintering in the open are used. Most of these farmers leave their animals on pasture during the grazing season. In the interest of animal welfare and well-being, we strive to build or adapt barns and find solutions where animals can move freely and have access to pasture. In this paper, we have studied the state of barns for suckler cows in Slovenia, reviewed the literature on innovative solutions in the construction of barns for suckler cows and evaluated the best practices in the construction of barns.
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