New use for milking parlour

grazeaway

Have been thinking of converting the milking parlour for a while now, it's used for storage of junk at the mo.

What have people done to these as they are not the most easily converted. Was built in the early 80's. It's about 45x15 was going to leave the front area where the cows went out as we use the power was and it's used when going in And out to the crush and yard. The roof if very low so the only tractor I could get in would be very small.

I was thinking of filling the pit and and putting a feed barrier across the front just in side roof but the fall would be towards the feed area so maybe not ideal. What kind of bedding could I put in or how would In slats? I was thinking of putting in slats and using the pit as a sump and having the slurry flow into the tank. The tank is about 50 ft away and about a foot below it. Could this be done?. Can't use the side as a feed barrier as one side is along the workshop and machinery store, and the other is where the cattle come in and out.

grazeaway

grazeaway wrote: »

I was thinking of putting in slats and using the pit as a sump and having the slurry flow into the tank. The tank is about 50 ft away and about a foot below it. Could this be done?.

We have a "flow channel" from our shed to our lagoon. It's basically a perfectly level channel containing water (about 1 foot deep by 3 foot) on which the slurry flows. At the end of the channel is a ridge to contain the water, which the slurry flows over into the lagoon. Sounds like it would work for you.

grazeaway

Could that work if I put a large pipe from the parlour pit to the tank? I would need to cross a holding yard. Does it need to be square?

grazeaway

grazeaway wrote: »

Could that work if I put a large pipe from the parlour pit to the tank? I would need to cross a holding yard. Does it need to be square?

I couldn't tell you. All I know is our one works well and the water is the important part. Maybe someone else here might know. Lots of smart people here.:)

blue5000

In a similar position OP, it's sort of turning into a workshop:o, with a lot of empty bags lying around. One suggestion is put cubicles in it, scrape slurry to existing tank, could you feed them in the old collecting yard?
What cattle have you now instead?

grazeaway

Nope they parlour is away from the main shed as the collecting yard is between sheds. Also use the collecting yard as the forcing pen for the crush. The cows are out during the day in winter so pass through the yard. So I need to be able to incorporate a feeding area into parlour area. I was planning on using it for housing about a dozen wealings over winter.

grazeaway

had a look at those slurry channels, looks like a a good idea but maybe not ideal for my place as there is a step out from the collecting yard to the tank in the shed. I was thinking more about using a large pipe that i could bury under the yard connecting the parlour pit to the slatted tank.

I remember seeing a few sheds that used to have a slatted sump at the end of the cubicle house that had an outlet pipe flowing under the feeding passage to a tank at the outside of the shed/yard. was thinking of doing something similar. do anyone have one of these and how do they work to allow the slurry to flow (fall ration in pipe, water level, size, etc).

JohnBoy

in a similar boat. ours has a small circular collecting yard at the end, our thought is to build a new crush/handling setup inside it as our current crush is getting a bit wobbly.



someday...

49801

JohnBoy wrote: »

in a similar boat. ours has a small circular collecting yard at the end, our thought is to build a new crush/handling setup inside it as our current crush is getting a bit wobbly.



someday...

certainly be nice not to be handling cattle in the pissing rain:D

JohnBoy

under a leaky gutter!