Karmod establishes calf hutches for cattle farms in Cyprus region

Talay Öztürk, General Manager of Karmod Plastic Group: "With calf shelters, we aimed to contribute to reducing newborn calf deaths by improving cattle farm operations," he said.

Karmod exported calf shelters it developed for newborns in milk and beef cattle farming to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

According to a statement from the company, the 30-piece calf shelter began to be used on a livestock farm located in Nicosia.

Talay Öztürk, General Manager of Karmod Plastic Group, emphasized the vital importance of special shelters in reducing newborn calf deaths, pointing out that in Turkey, the number of calves lost in a year exceeds the total number of cattle in most countries.

In our country, 3.4 million calves and cattle born each year are lost between 450-480 thousand

Öztürk stated that calf shelters contribute to the healthy growth of newborns during the first 4 months, saying, 'According to the Turkish Union of Chambers of Agriculture (TZOB) data, in our country, between 3.4 million calves and cattle born each year, between 450-480 thousand are lost. This number exceeds the total number of cattle in each of the 81 countries in the world. Most of the losses occur as a result of contagious diseases spreading among each other in unsuitable housing conditions on farms.'

Öztürk emphasized the importance of the first 28 days, especially for newborn calves, stating:

'Respiratory tract infections are a factor in deaths between 28 days and 4 months. Hygiene, temperature, humidity of the environment where the newborn calf is kept, keeping it in a separate place, especially keeping the bedding clean and well-maintained, and feeding it with sufficient and high-quality colostrum are effective methods in the animal's immune system and protection against diseases. We designed our calf shelters to protect newborns from the risk of infection during the 0–4 month period. One shelter is used for each calf on farms. There is a closed resting area in the rear section. In the front, there is a fenced walking area. There are feeders and drinkers in front of the fence. In this section, a milk bottle was included in the calf shelter set for nutritional supplementation. With the calf shelters we have specially developed for the livestock sector, we aimed to contribute to the improvement of cattle farm operations and reduce newborn calf deaths.'