The holding pen was the hottest room
Parlor fans were fine. The packed pen before the gate was still.
4 min read · 2026-09-07
A mid-Atlantic herd called after July milk flattened. Stall fans were new. The holding pen was a low roof, three groups stacked, and one fan pointed at the operator pit.
Respiration on cows waiting for the gate sat well above the cows already in stalls. Penn State’s holding-pen notes are not decoration: time packed under still air is heat load you cannot recover at the bunk.
They added soakers on a cycle and turned the air across the cows, not the pit. The next humid week the afternoon standing bunch at the gate broke up. Intake recovered before components did.
On farm, check airflow at cow height in the hold — not at the pit rail or the alley wall. If the air you feel is not crossing the cows’ backs, the pen is still loading heat even when the parlor looks cooled.
Sources
- Heat Stress Abatement Techniques for Dairy Cattle — Penn State Extension