ABSTRACT
Dr. C. D. Mitchell has designed a number of extremely successful specialist calf-rearing houses of monopitch construction. The Mitchell monopitch is a reasonably low cost affair and has several features which make it particularly attractive in the context of calf health and husbandry. Fully enclosed calf houses range from custom-built, insulated, fan-ventilated new units to conversions of old stone farm buildings with slate roofs or conversions of not-so-old wooden chicken houses. Natural ventilation means the movement of air through a building brought about by natural forces acting in the air itself. There are three essential steps in preparing a calf house for its new arrivals, cleaning, disinfection and rest. Fumigation is a specialised form of chemical disinfection using a vapour rather than a liquid. The purpose of rest after cleaning and disinfection is to allow naturally occurring disinfection processes like sunlight and desiccation to finish off most of the few remaining micro-organisms.
