Calving house - bedding on slats

dungfly

Thinking of placing straw in a slatted house to be used for calving area and cleaning out using the loading showel. Would it be difficult to remove bedding?

_Brian

Would you worry about the straw getting into the tank?? would it be as problematic for agitating the tank as silage would ??

Rovi

I can see three issues:
A certain amount of straw will be forced down through the slats and will certainly make it more difficult to lift off than it would be on a plain concrete surface.
Assuming you're going to be trying to lift it across the grain of the slats, I suspect this will make it more difficult too.
Are the slats rated to carry your loading shovel?

rangler1

Rovi wrote: »

I can see three issues:
A certain amount of straw will be forced down through the slats and will certainly make it more difficult to lift off than it would be on a plain concrete surface.
Assuming you're going to be trying to lift it across the grain of the slats, I suspect this will make it more difficult too.
Are the slats rated to carry your loading shovel?

I used to bed slats for calving, if you leave it five or six mths and then fill the pens with heavy cattle, it'll disappear down the slats

dungfly

rangler1 wrote: »

I used to bed slats for calving, if you leave it five or six mths and then fill the pens with heavy cattle, it'll disappear down the slats

Does this cause problems with blocking vacuum tanker?

poor farmer

I have been bedding on slats for calves for several years.It works quite well .I bale up rushes in the summer and bed with it on the slats in winter.Any long type bedding would be better on slats than straw .
I clean it out with the back arm of a jcb digger .Any handy mini digger would suit either.The slats are perfect ,Just take take a bit of care when scleaning it out.

rangler1

dungfly wrote: »

Does this cause problems with blocking vacuum tanker?

Never had any problem with it, it was usually very rotten and the cattle broke it up.

dungfly

I dont have a backhoe, just the split bucket on the front. Would the front bucket or grab be able to remove bedding without doing damage to slats?

Diesel Dick

poor farmer wrote: »

I have been bedding on slats for calves for several years.It works quite well .I bale up rushes in the summer and bed with it on the slats in winter.Any long type bedding would be better on slats than straw .
I clean it out with the back arm of a jcb digger .Any handy mini digger would suit either.The slats are perfect ,Just take take a bit of care when scleaning it out.

+1 exact same system here but this is our first year using baled rushes.