handling yard design

oldsmokey

Hi, we're trying to manage with an old yard and setup here, tis a 2-man job for everything, am sick of it. I want to smarten it up, but theres a number of ways it could be approached - does anyone know of an 'expert' in designing a handling yard? I know O Donovans, Gibneys and the rest have someone, but I'd be happy to pay a few bob for an 'outsider'
Cheers

patsy_mccabe

Why is a 2 man job?
I move cattle around the whole time on my own. Find it easier that way. The extra stranger always sends them crazy.

farmerjj

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

Why is a 2 man job?
I move cattle around the whole time on my own. Find it easier that way. The extra stranger always sends them crazy.

Think he,s saying it a badly laid out yard,this makes it a 2man job, not that he wants a 2man yard

Icelandicseige

https://youtu.be/gi5ZdOINf-s

ganmo

A rough design is fairly easy to do up.
What ya need dimensions of area
Number of cattle needed to hold at any time
How many different groups

Mooooo

Google temple grandin cattle handling

Musketeer4

Where are you in the country?
A friend of mine is an architect and he specialises in designing farm facilities, taking projects through planning, getting grant aids etc. He's from a farm himself so he knows the craic.
He's based in Tipperary.

PM me if you want his contact details.

Muckit

A friend eh?

oldsmokey

ganmo wrote: »

A rough design is fairly easy to do up.
What ya need dimensions of area
Number of cattle needed to hold at any time
How many different groups

Sure, but we,ve got existing sheds, crush, milking parlour, yards to work around, if it was greenfield, itd be easy.

oldsmokey

Mooooo wrote: »

Google temple grandin cattle handling

Did, interesting , but we,re constrained by existing yards, sheds etc

imabitthick

maybe not. at least in a yard you have to work with what youve got. Doing the same myself in a green field site and its driving me mad. Have to work out whether ill apply for the grant

smokey-fitz

Gates and sleeves, not permanent so it can be moved out of the way for access to sheds ect. Penty of dividing pens are a godsend. White tape works wonders if your stuck, especially if cattle are used to electric fences.

Take a trip to your local mart, might give you a few idea's on penning and set ups aswell.

blue5000

oldsmokey wrote: »

Hi, we're trying to manage with an old yard and setup here, tis a 2-man job for everything, am sick of it. I want to smarten it up, but theres a number of ways it could be approached - does anyone know of an 'expert' in designing a handling yard? I know O Donovans, Gibneys and the rest have someone, but I'd be happy to pay a few bob for an 'outsider'
Cheers

Any chance of a few pics of what you've got, and a few ides of what you want? Lots of good, free advice available here.

larthehar

blue5000 wrote: »

Any chance of a few pics of what you've got, and a few ides of what you want? Lots of good, free advice available here.

Touche..

Upload a sketch of an aerial view of the yard.. plenty of lads here to bounce ideas off!

blue5000

You'd be surprised at the difference something as simple as a strategically placed ring feeder with a gate tied on to it can make to a pen.

freedominacup

oldsmokey wrote: »

Sure, but we,ve got existing sheds, crush, milking parlour, yards to work around, if it was greenfield, itd be easy.

I'm not trying to be smart but what you're probably missing above all id a fresh set of eyes on the job. Our eldest lad suggested something one evening when he was around 10/11. A complete contrast to what we were doing for years moving cows for milking. Worked like a charm and we're doing it that way since. All he said was why don't we bring them this way? There was no good answer. Changed everything about how the yard is used and dramatically reduced the amount of yard scraping.

Musketeer4

Muckit wrote: »

A friend eh?

Yeah a fella from near home. Is that a problem for you?

CloughCasey1

Musketeer4 wrote: »

Yeah a fella from near home. Is that a problem for you?

😀😀thats you back in your box young Muckit.😂😂

oldsmokey

Musketeer4 wrote: »

Yeah a fella from near home. Is that a problem for you?

Cheers for pm musketeer, will give that man a shout..

oldsmokey

freedominacup wrote: »

I'm not trying to be smart but what you're probably missing above all id a fresh set of eyes on the job. Our eldest lad suggested something one evening when he was around 10/11. A complete contrast to what we were doing for years moving cows for milking. Worked like a charm and we're doing it that way since. All he said was why don't we bring them this way? There was no good answer. Changed everything about how the yard is used and dramatically reduced the amount of yard scraping.

You're dead right, we get used to our own perspective - the yard is so complicated, only an aerial view would make sense of it, will have to save up for a drone!
Have asked lots of visitors to the place for suggestions - but nothing satisfactory, will try Musketeers chum..sometimes a pro is worth it..

Suckler

oldsmokey wrote: »

You're dead right, we get used to our own perspective - the yard is so complicated, only an aerial view would make sense of it, will have to save up for a drone!

Google earth any use?

oldsmokey

Suckler wrote: »

Google earth any use?

Nah, wont give enough detail

pedigree 6

oldsmokey wrote: »

Nah, wont give enough detail

Can you draw it out roughly on a piece of paper for yourself?
Even get someone to help you with a long tape measure or distance wheel and then even a laser level to get falls.
You can even get a laser distance finder to speed it up even more. If you want.

Tyson Lannister

oldsmokey wrote: »

Nah, wont give enough detail

I do this work myself. If you google osi map viewer and zoom in on your farm you will be able to buy a map for I think 59- the 1/2500 map will show all your farm buildings.

Tyson Lannister

If you do decide to buy the map I can change the scale for you for to 1/500 no prob if you want to put the farmyard plan up here for ideas.

oldsmokey

Tyson Lannister wrote: »

If you do decide to buy the map I can change the scale for you for to 1/500 no prob if you want to put the farmyard plan up here for ideas.

Hi, thanks, have a guru calling tomorrow, if no joy there will take you up on it, appreciate it..

oldsmokey

Well, we had a fresh pair of eyes look over the yard, and I did a quick sketch of the current layout - I was thinking of relocating the crush within the old parlour, but was advised it was a waste of a useful building, true, and it would be too short - instead, maybe run new crush in place where the old cubicles will be ripped out - they're well past it - its a fine long wall by the 4bay shed, and could set it up so that we hold cattle in yard6, the animals enter the race next to gate L, and exit the other end (next to gate k), can then be diverted into any yard we want...
At the moment as you can see the crush is by the side of the parlour, and the cattle are very resistant to going up it. We're lucky in having so much concrete, its the layout is a bit of a balls. Incidentally, we use yard 6 to store round bales at the minute. Ta all
yard, crush.jpg

oldsmokey

yard, crush.jpg

Better....

blue5000

Is there a wall at the bottom of yard 4,5 and 6? Are you still milking?

oldsmokey

blue5000 wrote: »

Is there a wall at the bottom of yard 4,5 and 6? Are you still milking?

Hiya, high bank there, 12' or so, no milking going on..also wall alongyard 3.