This refers to places in animal housing for bovine animals, pigs and poultry, as well as the average number of these animals present on the holding during the reference year. The term ‘places’ refers to the capacity of the animal house(s) during the reference year.

The number of temporarily empty places in the animal houses during the reference period is also recorded, if these are normally occupied.

The number of places for animals that are always outdoors is included.

For bovine livestock and breeding sows which graze outdoors but not permanently, the number of months that the animals graze outdoors during the reference period is indicated.

If the animals graze for several hours a day, for the purpose of this calculation, a grazing day is considered to be a day where the animal spends more than 6 hours grazing.

For bovine and pig livestock (except breeding sows) kept in housing, we record whether there are outdoor exercise yards available. If such areas exist but are not used, they are not included.

The number of places in different types of housing for bovine animals, pigs and laying hens is recorded. Manure management in each type of housing is also taken into account.

Bovine housing

Animals may be kept in fixed housing or loose housing.

Fixed housing is housing in which animals are permanently tethered to their places and cannot move freely. In this type of housing, the floor may be:
- On sloping concrete with a layer of straw or sawdust and a shallow channel behind the animals to collect part of the faeces and urine, while the other part is regularly removed as solid manure. In some cases, the channel is equipped with a drainage pump to collect seepage.
- As above, but with a deeper channel to collect and store the liquid fraction.
- On level concrete with a channel covered by a grid behind the animals to collect the faeces and urine as semi-liquid manure.

Loose housing is housing in which animals can move freely. There are two types of loose housing:
- Housing where animals have free access over the entire area of the building or pen (a small area separated by a wall or fence for livestock). Normally, a thick bed of straw is spread over the floor, which is removed once or twice during winter as fertiliser. The floor is usually made of concrete in the area where the animals are kept and fed.
- Housing which is divided into rows of individual cubicles where the animals may be held, but are not tethered. The floor of each cubicle may be covered by a layer of straw, sand or sawdust or by a plastic or rubber sheet. Faeces and urine are deposited into passageways between the rows of cubicles. These passageways may be covered by a grid or asphalted with rubber-coated cement. The passageways are cleaned at least once a day using a tractor or automatic cleaner and excrement is removed in the form of semi-liquid manure.

Having defined all the above, the following types of housing are considered:
- Fixed housing in tie stalls with a semi-liquid manure (slurry) collection system. In this case, the housing is fixed and manure and urine are collected in a pit under the floor in the form of semi-liquid manure.
- Fixed housing in tie stalls with a collection system that separates solid manure from liquid manure. The housing is fixed and excrement is removed from the stall mechanically in the form of solid manure.
- Loose or cubicle housing with a collection system that separates solid manure from liquid manure. Loose housing where animals can move freely and excrement is removed from the housing mechanically as solid manure.
- Loose or cubicle housing with a semi-liquid manure or slurry collection system. In this case, animals can move freely and excrement is collected in a pit under the floor in the form of semi-liquid manure.
- Other types of housing. Any type of housing not mentioned above. Includes cages, igloos and calf huts.

Dairy cow housing. The average number of dairy cows in the reference year is studied. We differentiate between:
- Dairy cows in tie stalls with liquid or semi-liquid manure (slurry) management, number of places.
- Dairy cows in tie stalls with solid manure management, number of places.
- Dairy cows in loose/cubicle housing with liquid or semi-liquid manure (slurry) management, number of places.
- Dairy cows in loose/cubicle housing with solid manure management, number of places.
- Dairy cows in other types of housing, not classified elsewhere, with liquid or semi-liquid manure management, number of places.
- Dairy cows in other types of housing, not classified elsewhere, with solid manure management, number of places.
- Dairy cows always outdoors, number of places.
- Dairy cows partly outdoors, number of months.
- Dairy cows with access to exercise yards (Yes/No).

Other bovine housing. The average number of other bovine animals in the reference year is studied. We differentiate between:
- Other bovine animals in tie stalls with liquid or semi-liquid manure (slurry) management, number of places.
- Other bovine animals in tie stalls (solid manure) with solid manure management, number of places.
- Other bovine animals in loose/cubicle housing with liquid or semi-liquid manure (slurry) management, number of places.
- Other bovine animals in loose/cubicle housing with solid manure management, number of places.
- Other bovine animals in other types of housing, not classified elsewhere, with liquid or semi-liquid manure (slurry) management, number of places.
- Other bovine animals in other types of housing, not classified elsewhere, with solid manure management, number of places.
- Other bovine animals always outdoors, number of places.
- Other bovine animals partly outdoors, months.
- Other bovine animals with access to exercise yards (Yes/No).

Pig housing

Housing floors may be constructed of a hard and impermeable material, such as concrete, or be slatted, i.e. with metal, concrete or plastic grates over a channel or pit that collects livestock faeces and urine. The floor may be completely or partially slatted.

In the case of pigs, the following types of housing are considered:
- Housing with fully slatted floors.
- Housing with partially slatted floors.
- Solid floor housing (excluding deep litter).
- Housing where the entire surface is covered by deep litter.
- Other types of housing.
- Outdoors.

Breeding sow housing. The average number of breeding sows in the reference year is studied. We differentiate between:
- Breeding sows in fully slatted floor housing, number of places.
- Breeding sows in partially slatted floor housing, number of places.
- Breeding sows in solid floor housing (excluding deep litter), number of places.
- Breeding sows in housing where the entire surface is covered by deep litter, number of places.
- Breeding sows in other types of housing, number of places.
- Breeding sows outdoors (or in free-range systems), number of places.
- Breeding sows outdoors (or in free-range systems), number of months.

Other pig housing. The average number of other pigs in the reference year is studied. We differentiate between:
- Other pigs in fully slatted floor housing, number of places.
- Other pigs in partially slatted floor housing, number of places.
- Other pigs in solid floor housing (excluding deep litter), number of places.
- Other pigs in deep litter housing, number of places.
- Other pigs in other types of housing, number of places.
- Other pigs outdoors or in free-range systems, number of places.
- Other pigs with access to exercise yards (excluding free-range systems) (Yes/No).

Laying hen housing

The following types of facilities are considered:

- Deep litter housing:
Laying hen houses on straw beds (equivalent to deep litter houses) are animal buildings where the floor is covered with a thick layer of straw, peat, sawdust or other similar material that binds the manure, which is only removed at intervals that may be several months apart. The building is enclosed and may be thermally insulated and have forced ventilation or natural ventilation. At least a third of the floor area must be covered with litter (e.g. chopped straw, wood shavings) and two thirds arranged as a pit covered with slats to collect droppings (waste voided by birds) during the 13 to 15 month egg-laying period. Nests, feeders and water supply are placed on the slatted area to keep the litter dry.

- Aviary housing (without litter):
Aviaries are also called multi-level systems or percheries. They consist of a ground floor plus one or more levels of perforated platforms, from which manure cannot fall on birds below. At some point in the system, there will be at least two levels available for birds.

An aviary house is a construction with thermal insulation, forced ventilation and natural or artificial light. They can be combined with free-range areas and outside scratching areas. Birds are kept in large groups and are free to move throughout the entire area of the house on multiple levels. The space is subdivided into different areas: feeding and drinking, sleeping and resting, scratching, and egg laying. Because the animals can use several levels, higher densities of birds are allowed in comparison to deep litter housing. Droppings are removed by manure belts or collected in a manure pit.

- Cages with manure belts:
Battery cages are housing systems where laying hens are kept in cages, one or more in each, inside enclosed buildings with forced ventilation and with or without a lighting system. Birds are kept in tiered cages, usually made of steel wire, arranged in long rows. Droppings fall through the bottom of the cages and are collected and stored underneath in a deep pit or channel or are removed using a belt or scraper system. Droppings from laying hens in battery systems are not mixed with other material, such as litter, and may be dried or have water added to make the manure easier to manage.

Battery cages with manure belts are cages where the manure is removed mechanically by means of a conveyor belt below the cages, which carries it outside the building to form a pile of solid manure/farmyard manure. Conveyor belts, such as those made of “non-stick” polypropylene, are positioned below the cages, where they collect the droppings and transport them outside the building to an enclosed space. In improved systems, it is possible to dry the manure on the belts by forcing air through perforated pipes or drying tunnels above the cages.

- Cages without manure belts. A distinction is made between two types:
1- cages with deep pits: battery cages in which the manure falls into a deep pit below the cages where it remains in the form of semi-liquid manure. Birds are housed in cages in one or more tiers. Droppings fall into a manure pit (deep pit) or channel below the cages by themselves or with the aid of a scraper together with spilled water from the drinkers. The layer of manure is removed once a year, or less frequently, using a scraper or a front loader on a tractor. In some systems, the housing ventilation system is designed so that warm air is used to dry the wet manure in the deep pit or channel.
2- cages on stilts: battery cages in which the manure falls onto the floor below the cages where it remains in the form of solid manure/farmyard manure and is removed mechanically on a regular basis. This is similar to deep litter housing, except there is a variable space between the cage and the manure deposition areas and there are large openings in the walls of the building that allow wind to pass through and aid drying. The cage and manure deposition areas of the building are separated so that droppings can be removed at any convenient time without disturbing the birds.

- Outdoors (free range)
The outdoor housing area may be covered with grass. Birds have access to this area from the buildings via holes in the wall and from the veranda, if present. They will use the area if they feel it has sufficient shelter. The shelter may be trees or bushes, but it can also be artificial shelter (elevated nets, tents, mobile hen houses). A fence can also be used as a cover to walk along. Providing a dust bath is another way of enticing poultry to use these facilities. Areas near the housing may be covered with free-draining material in order to maintain good hygiene both inside and outside the housing.

For the purposes of conducting the census, aviaries where animals have access to outdoor areas can be classified as free range.

Laying hen housing. The average number of laying hens in the reference year is studied. We differentiate between:
- Laying hens in deep litter housing, number of places.
- Laying hens in aviaries (without litter), number of places.
- Laying hens in cages with manure belts, number of places
- Laying hens in cages with deep pits, number of places.
- Laying hens in cages on stilts, number of places.
- Laying hens in other types of housing, number of places.
- Laying hens outdoors or in free-range systems, number of places.