Shed with access to yard.

Belongamick

Just wondering if lads out there have ever had a wintering set up like an open concrete yard for feeding cattle and a dry shed - lie back area for them to shelter and lie down. Would such a setup be a disaster in wet weather - cattle getting wet and then going inside a shed, changing temperatures recipe for pneumonia?

keepalive213

I have exactly such a setup, albeit on a small scale. I've never had any issues with pneumonia etc, the shed is big enough for the amount of stock in it and there's plenty of air moving through it. With these 6 month winters around here now it's very hard on cattle lying out.

The Rabbi

Every body had the cubicle house with cattle/cows eating outside from the ring feeder at some stage.I believe that some animals actually survived the ACOT era and lived out their days in Teagasc approved housing.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=432827&d=1510088472
Nothing wrong with any of those animals.

whelan2

Would the run off from the yard need to be collected?

jimini0

I have only have 3 cows and a calf. Small straw bed shed. Ring feeder in a corner of the yard they eat a bale every 6 days. A bit of meal along with it. Dung stead close to shed. So a few wheel barrows every week is not much work. They have access to a field around the yard on dry nights they lie out under the hedges on wet nights they go into the shed. No coughing or problems. They healthy as could be,a good coat of hair on them.
As for the run off , most of it is channeled into a tank that was put in for reps years ago but a good bit just finds its way out into a soak pit under the area for storing silage bales. It's probably not the right way to deal with the run off but it's the only way I have.
Now its very old school but since its only a hobby to me i dont mind the bit of hardship.

blue5000

Slatted feed passage with no roof outside cubicles here and no issues. Cattle keep the long hair on all winter. As said above run off has to be collected from an outside yard.

freedominacup

Around 25% of the cow feeding area here is on an open passage but it gets a upto 40% of the feed and is always cleared first. No waste even on the coldest wettest days. Put in a tank on an outside feeding area for a cubicle house this year. No intention of covering it. In calf heifers on it and they're as content as could be. No issues with waste there either. Any new buildings from here on will have feeding area outdoors. You'll need a bit of extra storage but there again you'll be spending less on sheds.

Keepgrowing

Not a bother on them

Cavanjack

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Not a bother on them

Tidy spot

wrangler

whelan2 wrote: »

Would the run off from the yard need to be collected?

Yea, water from a dirty yard has to be collected and treated as slurry

Keepgrowing

Cavanjack wrote: »

Tidy spot

Thanks, it's way easier to keep a place clean and tidy than slobber around in scutter. It's actually quicker to get work done

anthony500_1

Keepgrowing wrote:

Not a bother on them

Keepgrowing wrote:

Thanks, it's way easier to keep a place clean and tidy than slobber around in scutter. It's actually quicker to get work done

Agree 100%

Is it sucklers or dairy cows you have in the cubicles. Do you find it hard to "train" new animals to ly up on them as opposed to lying in the passage,
I've a shed that had cubicles in it 30yrs ago with sloped floor into open dung pit, I'm seriously thinking when funds allow it to reinstall them again, the 9 month winter in the west this year is starting to piss me off out wintering the cattle even though they are happy out(pardon the pun)

Belongamick

Thanks for the reply's all.
Amazing how clean and content the cows are in the pics - credit to their owners.
The winters seem to be getting wetter here in the west of Ireland and I hope to keep about a dozen young dry stock from next winter on. I don't want to spend the earth on slats so looking at a simple shed with yard access something along the lines of the pictures shown. We used to have stock out but in recent years its rough outside in winter.

White Clover

anthony500_1 wrote: »

Agree 100%

Is it sucklers or dairy cows you have in the cubicles. Do you find it hard to "train" new animals to ly up on them as opposed to lying in the passage,
I've a shed that had cubicles in it 30yrs ago with sloped floor into open dung pit, I'm seriously thinking when funds allow it to reinstall them again, the 9 month winter in the west this year is starting to piss me off out wintering the cattle even though they are happy out(pardon the pun)

Not my place to answer this! but, keepgrowing is big into his sucklers! and milks "a good few" cows too as far as I can see.

Keepgrowing

anthony500_1 wrote: »

Agree 100%

Is it sucklers or dairy cows you have in the cubicles. Do you find it hard to "train" new animals to ly up on them as opposed to lying in the passage,
I've a shed that had cubicles in it 30yrs ago with sloped floor into open dung pit, I'm seriously thinking when funds allow it to reinstall them again, the 9 month winter in the west this year is starting to piss me off out wintering the cattle even though they are happy out(pardon the pun)

The vast majority will lie up. Dimensions of cubicle critical as is a mat. No mat don't bother.

All dairy here. most animals have cubicles from first winter. The 30% that don't are straw bedded and will lie up when in calf provided cubicle is clean and comfortable. I presume suckler a are no different

Bass Reeves

OP such systems will work fine. Just be aware of a few things if building from new. Straw is expensive especially in the west of Ireland. Run off is becoming an issue and if inspected it is one of the first thing that Inspectors check. There is rumors circulating that all cattle will have to be housed within 10 years time seems a long way away but time travels fast. For instance I have heard that department are thinking of starting to check slurry storage is adequate where people are putting in for grants. How long before it is part of GLAS and knowledge group criteria. A simple cubicle area with a feed barrier may work out as well and put in a small tank down the line.

freedominacup

Keepgrowing wrote: »

The vast majority will lie up. Dimensions of cubicle critical as is a mat. No mat don't bother.

All dairy here. most animals have cubicles from first winter. The 30% that don't are straw bedded and will lie up when in calf provided cubicle is clean and comfortable. I presume suckler a are no different

For springers on loose housing what sort of Sr would you have assuming they have a separate feeding area?

Keepgrowing

freedominacup wrote: »

For springers on loose housing what sort of Sr would you have assuming they have a separate feeding area?

I wouldn't like to go below 100 ftsq per head with a base layer of woodchip and regular good quality barley straw

Who2

Make it easy on yourself and the animals. Put up a small tank and when funds allow roof it. There's no point letting a hobby which realistically it is to most of us, turn into hardship and drudgery. You'll find keep growing a set up facilitates a yard scraper and tractor and a few minutes with a hundred or two hundred cows. It'll take you as long with a couple. Let them keep it clean themselves by dunging straight onto slats.

_Brian

Belongamick wrote: »

Just wondering if lads out there have ever had a wintering set up like an open concrete yard for feeding cattle and a dry shed - lie back area for them to shelter and lie down. Would such a setup be a disaster in wet weather - cattle getting wet and then going inside a shed, changing temperatures recipe for pneumonia?

Currently I’ve a dozen wee weanlings in and out. They feed silage and meal in the sheds on the slats and then have free access to a yard and field. It works great, something illl do again without doubt. They overnight on the slats if it’s cold and wet out, but some nights they overnight in the field under the hedge.

freedominacup

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I wouldn't like to go below 100 ftsq per head with a base layer of woodchip and regular good quality barley straw

How thick is the base layer? How often would you clean out shed? I've had small numbers in a handy shed before and saw great benefits at calving but moving to a larger building and bigger numbers on it this year and am a bit concerned about the potential for mastitis issues. Plenty of straw available so won't be skimping on it.

Keepgrowing

freedominacup wrote: »

How thick is the base layer? How often would you clean out shed? I've had small numbers in a handy shed before and saw great benefits at calving but moving to a larger building and bigger numbers on it this year and am a bit concerned about the potential for mastitis issues. Plenty of straw available so won't be skimping on it.

I misunderstood you, I thought you meant in calf heifers on loose bedding now.

For calving we'd be at about 90 ft per cow in calving shed. We'd have up to 60 at a time in there at peak calving. No base layer as its cleaned out and limed every third day. We used only clean out calving pens but found it best practice to clean whole calving area more regularly. Fresh straw every day and maybe TAD at peak calving.

That's just what we do, but it may not be best practice. Time and labour needs to be considered at that time also

Muckit

Will the cows self feed along the favr of the silage pit when you open it keepgrowing?

I follow the funkyfarmer on you tube and l see he uses a battery electric fence strung from wall to wall. Seems to work well. He feeds maize silage in the ring feeders.

Keepgrowing

Muckit wrote: »

Will the cows self feed along the favr of the silage pit when you open it keepgrowing?

I follow the funkyfarmer on you tube and l see he uses a battery electric fence strung from wall to wall. Seems to work well. He feeds maize silage in the ring feeders.

Much as I'd love to we won't. Too many animals in the yard to self feed. The guy looking after those cows wants to easy feed so I let him bang away

Never wrestle with pigs

Keepgrowing wrote: »

I wouldn't like to go below 100 ftsq per head with a base layer of woodchip and regular good quality barley straw

You ever think of using sand as a base layer? Thinking of using it in an open shed here. It's cheap and easy got.

Keepgrowing

Never wrestle with pigs wrote: »

You ever think of using sand as a base layer? Thinking of using it in an open shed here. It's cheap and easy got.

Never used it but have seen it used in hospital pens in the UK. Sand is brilliant but how to deal with it when done would be an issue.

We use a base layer of wood chip under straw beds that aren't cleaned out regularly.

anthony500_1

Keepgrowing wrote:

Never used it but have seen it used in hospital pens in the UK. Sand is brilliant but how to deal with it when done would be an issue.

Could the sand not be spread the same as dung. Every football pitch in the country uses sand to improve dranage so would spreading it on the land not do the same???

Never wrestle with pigs

Might be best put it out with the contractors dung spreader 😂