As part of the CRP project V4-2012 "Development of sustainable barn construction concepts", 40 sheep barns were surveyed, of which 28 were barns for meat sheep and 12 barns for dairy sheep. The most popular system was the free-range barn without pens for different categories. Most lambs remain with their mothers until slaughter, with additional feeding. The barns were built on average in 1960, with the oldest dating back to 1700. Most of the barns were built by the farmers themselves. Almost all barns have drinkers, in some barns water is still given in buckets. Feeding is mostly done by hand, only a few use machines. In most barns, manure is removed with the help of machines, in some barns it is still done by hand. Most barns were originally built for cattle and later converted for sheep. Therefore, most barns have limited access for machines, narrow passages and a lot of manual labour. When building new barns, it is recommended to build open barns, mostly made of wood, only the floors and walls up to the expected height of the manure should be made of reinforced concrete. Farmers must plan for the extension of the barn and access for machinery for feeding and manure removal. The barn must allow mothers with newborn lambs to be housed in temporary pens. In the case of dairy breeds, milking is mainly carried out by machine in the milking parlour, in a bucket or pipeline, and on the pasture with a mobile milking parlour. However, on a few farms, milking is still carried out manually.
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