Converting a covered silage shed to cow cubicles

Isay

Any one with experience of converting silage shed to cow cubicles? At present there is the silage shed/slab with lean to either side that already has cubicles.
Thanks

Buford T. Justice XIX

Isay wrote: »

Any one with experience of converting silage shed to cow cubicles? At present there is the silage shed/slab with lean to either side that already has cubicles.
Thanks

I did that 20 years ago. Installed cubicles and scrapers scraping down to a slatted tank at the end of the shed. Works fine.

You might check the poles where the roof joins onto the RSJs, they can be prone to rust there and are the most likely spot for any problems down the line with structural integrity.

I've the T-shirt on that around here someplace.

Where are you planning to feed to feed the cows? I'm assuming they were self feeding from the silage pit in the past?

Mooooo

If there are walls there if its in the budget is remove em, will allow more space and flexibility

Siamsa Sessions

Mooooo wrote: »

If there are walls there if its in the budget is remove em, will allow more space and flexibility

Had a fella in to price putting a roof on a silage slab here that has side walls and he said something similar. The walls are no good taking weight and he’d have to erect new pillars beside them

Water John

The only point I would make is to consider using the shed as calving boxes and putting the cubicles elsewhere.

Isay

Buford T. Justice XIX wrote: »

I did that 20 years ago. Installed cubicles and scrapers scraping down to a slatted tank at the end of the shed. Works fine.

You might check the poles where the roof joins onto the RSJs, they can be prone to rust there and are the most likely spot for any problems down the line with structural integrity.

I've the T-shirt on that around here someplace.

Where are you planning to feed to feed the cows? I'm assuming they were self feeding from the silage pit in the past?

Ya previously self feeding and circular feeders. Initial plan was feeding barrier on outside down the length of lean to and old silage pit.

Isay

Water John wrote: »

The only point I would make is to consider using the shed as calving boxes and putting the cubicles elsewhere.

Thanks WJ, that’s something I hadn’t thought off.

Buford T. Justice XIX

Isay wrote: »

Ya previously self feeding and circular feeders. Initial plan was feeding barrier on outside down the length of lean to and old silage pit.

That's more or less what we did. We put down a slatted tank along the length of the shed and fed all along the length of that and along the length of the lean to on one side.

One thing to note is that you'll only get 2 rows of cubicles and a scraper passage into the shed.

I'm assuming a 35' wide shed as that seemed to be the norm with those sheds.
So, say 7'6" for the cubicle beds and 8' for the scraper passage will give you 23' of space needed. You'll lose an extra foot for the old silage pit wall so that's 24' needed. And now you have about 10' of space between the cubicles and the other silage pit wall that can be dead space or calving pens or whatever but access will be limited with cattle feeding all along the end of the shed.

And if you're feeding along the length of the lean to, you'll run into a few problems with cows dragging feed into the scraper passage along the feed space. It will cause the scrapers to hop off the track and leave a big heap of crappy silage to be piked out of the way and removed from the end of the scraper passage. Some lads have installed a 6" step about a foot out from the stub wall before the scraper and that seems to reduce the problems but the silage will eventually have to be removed.

We have a single bar along the face but an angled barrier would reduce the amount of silage dragged in, I'd say.

cjpm

I’d agree with Water John. Better job. Neighbour converted a pit to cubicles and in hindsight he said it was a mistake.