In this section
In this section
Housing Systems
When improving existing facilities or designing a new building, focusing on optimizing animal health and comfort can facilitate animal management and reduce occurrence of injuries and disease.
Accommodation must provide for animals’ needs and should consider how they experience the space, as well as how building design and layout can facilitate easy management and sanitation for disease control. Building materials and flooring can be chosen to facilitate easy disinfection and avoid causing injuries to animals and people. Appropriate temperature, ventilation and drainage are key to achieving optimal climate and air quality in a building by removing dust, airborne pathogens and moisture where microorganisms thrive. It is also important to allow enough space to avoid overstocking and ensure that all animals have adequate access to food and water of good quality, space to move around and rest comfortably with appropriate social contact. Improving housing facilities can help streamline management practices to reduce stress of both animals and stockpersons.