suckler shed design

lab20

Hi there all,

This year, we hope to build a new suckler shed with feed apron covered with open front, straw bed area for cows with a creep area. Somewhere in region of 3 span or 4. My only question is between the feed barrier and straw bed area for cows, is it wise to put a concrete slab for cows to feed on or just let them feed off the straw area. This could add another 7 ft to the depth of the shed. Any ideas?

blue5000

You'd really need your own straw and a dungstead to justify it. I bed finishing bulls on straw and I don't have a dungstead. It does be fairly deep along the feed rail by the end of the closed period:o. This year I'm bedding them with peat. Some people have a concrete strip along the barrier that they scrape out 2 or 3 times a week, but where do you scrape it to? Could you put a small tank in the middle along the passage in 2 of the bays?

ellewood

How do u find peat for the bulls last ?

_Brian

Suckler cows use a horrific amount of straw. And if you've straw up to the feed barrier it will be worse.

I'd say a few years straw would pay for a tank above what you'll spend on the slab.

As above, unless your sure of a cheap supply of straw this would be my last option.

Mad4simmental

Blue id say you'll find it hard to go back to straw instead of peat for the bulls? I think it's savage good stuff.

onyerbikepat

I think it is madness to put suckler cows on expensive straw. You'd buy baled silage around here for the price of it. What is you existing set up. Do you have any slurry tank at the moment. Would a cubicle shed be out of the question. Let the calves in to them twice a day. This is what I do for the months of Feb/march with the new-borns. A calf will drink a cow in 10 mins and they get used to the routine fairly quick. Very easy to spot sick calves with this too. Cows stay clean on the cubicles too.

blue5000

ellewood wrote: »

How do u find peat for the bulls last ?

Only problem is there is a good fall in the floor towards the feed passage, 1:20 approx, and the peat gets moved down the slope, also the shed needs to be dry otherwise if the peat gets wet, well it turns into a bog:D

But a lot safer to drop a few buckets of turf in over the gate than to play 'chicken' with a few 700kg bulls and a 4x4 round bale.

Lasts about 6wks before we had to muck it out, but it was being topped up every 10 days or so. I think a deep layer in a dry shed would work better.

Sorry OP didn't mean to hijack your thread.

yellow50HX

lab20 wrote: »

Hi there all,

This year, we hope to build a new suckler shed with feed apron covered with open front, straw bed area for cows with a creep area. Somewhere in region of 3 span or 4. My only question is between the feed barrier and straw bed area for cows, is it wise to put a concrete slab for cows to feed on or just let them feed off the straw area. This could add another 7 ft to the depth of the shed. Any ideas?

Well it all depends on the number and your long term plan for the shed. Housing for cows dairy or suckler is best done with cubicles IMO. But the cubicles need to be the right size for the cows ( bigs cows won't lie in small cubicles).
Cows love straw bedding but your right they will dung the area in front of the feed barrier. There are a number of ways that straw can be used as a lie back area with a either slats or use a scraper to clean the feed passage.

Do you have a tank to scrap slurry?

Farmer Pudsey

OP what part of the country are you in. If you are in the middle of a tillage area then stray may be an option. Lads forget that you need twice the lie area on straw compared to slats. This could go half way in the price of a tank. If you have to put in a dungstead it another bit of the tank.

I had straw bedded pens and put a tank in there instead it keeps nearly twice the amount of cattle. Do not see the facination with cubicles and straw bedded sheds with suckler cows. See a load of lads with cows on slats with little or no issues.Straw is an expensive commodity if not in a tillage area.

jus_tin4

dairy farm here, but we have a separate shed for dry/near calving cows. the milking cows are in a cubicles area until a month or so before calving and then move over to a straw bed. the shed is split with concrete passage of eating and then obviously the staw side for lying.

it is more work in some regards, but it keeps them happy and relatively safe, but not that much extra work during the calving period. it works well and lets us split up the milking cows!

there is a cost and work either way imo, just work with what you have/what you think will work best for the area like everyone else suggested

deerejohn

Very hard to keep straw right if cattle are eating off it, you need an apron.

grassroot1

I have slatted cubicles here, if I was was building again I would just house them on slats. Cubicles only suit cows and you may not always have cows.
I was thinking of building a slatted tank (unroofed) and putting slat mats on the slat, it would be good enough for cows I think.

lab20

yeah I have being to a number of sheds now to look at different set ups. in a tillage area so straw can be got for 8-10 per 4x4 bale. I think myself now would be going with a 10 ft apron, two sleepers then the straw bed along with the creep. I am not a man that fancies slats. I will need to put in a tank to push the slurry off the apron but it will cost in region of 1200. have my two door openings in one end so one end will be solid wall.
Thanks for all ur opinions.

tomieen jones

onyerbikepat wrote: »

I think it is madness to put suckler cows on expensive straw. You'd buy baled silage around here for the price of it. What is you existing set up. Do you have any slurry tank at the moment. Would a cubicle shed be out of the question. Let the calves in to them twice a day. This is what I do for the months of Feb/march with the new-borns. A calf will drink a cow in 10 mins and they get used to the routine fairly quick. Very easy to spot sick calves with this too. Cows stay clean on the cubicles too.

Letting calves in is easy! Getting them out again of a yard full of cows is the headache! Or am I missing a trick of getting them out? That's why we just leave them come and go from the creep as they want

49801

OP I can help thinking a tank under the feed barrier would be worth it if you do go for straw.
A slope from straw area into it will stretch the straw.

Like someone else said slats suits all cattle sizes. We had all our sucks on slats and calves creeped onto a straw area we set up on the slats.

Worth considering calving facilites now too.

just do it

49801 wrote: »

OP I can help thinking a tank under the feed barrier would be worth it if you do go for straw.
A slope from straw area into it will stretch the straw.

Like someone else said slats suits all cattle sizes. We had all our sucks on slats and calves creeped onto a straw area we set up on the slats.

Worth considering calving facilites now too.

Was the straw directly on the slats? Any problem spreading it after?

grazeaway

lab20 wrote: »

yeah I have being to a number of sheds now to look at different set ups. in a tillage area so straw can be got for 8-10 per 4x4 bale. I think myself now would be going with a 10 ft apron, two sleepers then the straw bed along with the creep. I am not a man that fancies slats. I will need to put in a tank to push the slurry off the apron but it will cost in region of 1200. have my two door openings in one end so one end will be solid wall.
Thanks for all ur opinions.

Best to keep the feed area clear if you use a slatted tank here then itll take all you waste. The other option would be an auto scraper to an outside tank.

The problem with straw and slats is the the gaps get blocked very easily when the straw gets pulled into the feed area. Instead of using sleepers use old esb poles (the big ones) the curves make it easier for the cows to walk over them.

limo_100

thinking of putting up a new slatted shed 4bay for suckler cows, I already have a four bay double but i have no creep area or calving facilities, would four bays with 4 dry pens behind they do my job act as a creep and calving pens when needed, Iv managed so far with out cubicles i dont think there needed mats are probably just as comfortable,and i managed without them so far aswel.

grazeaway

limo_100 wrote: »

thinking of putting up a new slatted shed 4bay for suckler cows, I already have a four bay double but i have no creep area or calving facilities, would four bays with 4 dry pens behind they do my job act as a creep and calving pens when needed, Iv managed so far with out cubicles i dont think there needed mats are probably just as comfortable,and i managed without them so far aswel.

That would be the convential design alright. How many cows and your talking talking about? I know a few lads with that setup but they all say to have the slatted area for the cows as wide as you can. Usually have a concrete margin between the barrier and slats.

Good pics on this;
http://www.farmersjournal.ie/slatted-shed-and-feed-store-combination-153257/

limo_100

grazeaway wrote: »

That would be the convential design alright. How many cows and your talking talking about? I know a few lads with that setup but they all say to have the slatted area for the cows as wide as you can. Usually have a concrete margin between the barrier and slats.

Good pics on this;
http://www.farmersjournal.ie/slatted-shed-and-feed-store-combination-153257/

Im hoping to go to 40 cows soon im at 31 at the minute and its a struggle its just not comfortable as the cows av being calving this year there getting door, Id hope to go for around 28 in the new shed 7a pen and id be aiming for autumn calving sept on i feel that with a set up designed with the calves in mind sept calves should be 300+ at turn out in march, it be great to set it up so the calves can come in and out and hold the cows longer to save ground

49801

just do it wrote: »

Was the straw directly on the slats? Any problem spreading it after?

We had ply boards down but if your agitating it would be fine without boards.
Calves only tough!!!
Cleaning out at end of year was always some dose though with a 4 prong fork.:(

Miname

limo_100 wrote: »

Im hoping to go to 40 cows soon im at 31 at the minute and its a struggle its just not comfortable as the cows av being calving this year there getting door, Id hope to go for around 28 in the new shed 7a pen and id be aiming for autumn calving sept on i feel that with a set up designed with the calves in mind sept calves should be 300+ at turn out in march, it be great to set it up so the calves can come in and out and hold the cows longer to save ground

It'll work fine. I done one last year the only addition will be mats in one pen for the odd bad set of feet. 300 + will require a lot of meal on September calves. There will always be a few but the average will be around 280 here going out.

limo_100

Miname wrote: »

It'll work fine. I done one last year the only addition will be mats in one pen for the odd bad set of feet. 300 + will require a lot of meal on September calves. There will always be a few but the average will be around 280 here going out.

Id rather put the meal in at a young age instead of trying too hard before there sold. id take 280 as an average, what weight you hitting at 12months 500kgs?? are you selling them as weanlings??

Miname

limo_100 wrote: »

Id rather put the meal in at a young age instead of trying too hard before there sold. id take 280 as an average, what weight you hitting at 12months 500kgs?? are you selling them as weanlings??

The couple I kept , some made 500kg is a pair of twins however only made 350 and 380 kg. most Bulls get sold as weanlings and heifers finished or sold as forward stores. This years calves will be Bulls autumn and this spring sold at the end of the year and all heifers will be let to the bull and sold springing. But then again that could all change by next week.

leg wax

tomieen jones wrote: »

Letting calves in is easy! Getting them out again of a yard full of cows is the headache! Or am I missing a trick of getting them out? That's why we just leave them come and go from the creep as they want

trick when calves finished suckling give cows a bit of meal along feed face and the calves are left standing behind.;)

limo_100

Miname wrote: »

The couple I kept , some made 500kg is a pair of twins however only made 350 and 380 kg. most Bulls get sold as weanlings and heifers finished or sold as forward stores. This years calves will be Bulls autumn and this spring sold at the end of the year and all heifers will be let to the bull and sold springing. But then again that could all change by next week.

yeah i have to admit the spingers are tempting theres huge money in them at the minute. for a set of twins thats good weight if you go by the cow she gave you more liveweight gain than the others 730 thats the way i look at it. How many cows does your shed hold