Renting out Slatted Shed

StevenToast

I was thinking of renting out the slatted shed this coming winter.

- Standard 3bay double sided slatted shed (6 bays)
- Electricity and water available
- No labour or feed included
- Slats are covered in easyfix rubber mats
- Slurry to be taken away

Has anyone a ballpark figure of what I should charge for the whole winter period? (Nov - March)

What are other people paying or receiving?

I want to just charge an upfront rent and dont want to be counting heads of cattle or days spent in the shed.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions....

Bass Reeves

Problem with renting a shed is anyone renting will want it for minimum time possible. While in theory they may have it 150 days they may only need it 100-120. Drawing feed adds cost and no labour means you need to call regular. If you are.in an area where the winter is long it takes aside to justify a 250 day cost. A six bay shed takes some filling and maybe value of slurry left behind.
At a rough guess 1.8-2k

StevenToast

I have close to 200 bales of silage aswell...id like to sell them to the man that rents the shed....

Ideally a Dairy man who wants to house replacement heifers or something for the winter....

Any thoughts???

cosatron

StevenToast wrote: »

I have close to 200 bales of silage aswell...id like to sell them to the man that rents the shed....

Ideally a Dairy man who wants to house replacement heifers or something for the winter....

Any thoughts???

Where are u based, in dire need of a bigger shed to rent. Renting a 2 bay double at the minute and could do with a few more bays

StevenToast

cosatron wrote: »

Where are u based, in dire need of a bigger shed to rent. Renting a 2 bay double at the minute and could do with a few more bays

Send me a PM

Sacrolyte

Slats not great for dairy stock

StevenToast

Sacrolyte wrote: »

Slats not great for dairy stock

I have rubber mats on them?

Sacrolyte

That’s great but when when older and they go into a cubicle house they might not be trained to cubicles and end up lying in ****e.

JeffKenna

Yeah I don't think you could winter heifers in slats. Be an awful mess later on in their life when not trained.

richie123

Dob u mind my asking why your thinking of doing this out of curiosity?I'm thinking of doing something similar

StevenToast

richie123 wrote: »

Dob u mind my asking why your thinking of doing this out of curiosity?I'm thinking of doing something similar

Just comes down to the numbers really.....makes no sense for me to fill up a shed with cattle and fatten them for Larry next year and lose money or break even at best.....

Maybe I'm doing something wrong?!

Thanks to those for the insight regarding dairy heifers...

Donald Trump

Sacrolyte wrote: »

That’s great but when when older and they go into a cubicle house they might not be trained to cubicles and end up lying in ****e.

They learn fairly quickly. They are used to going in and out of parlours and crushes etc.

Panch18

Are you anywhere near south tipp?

Gman1987

Just to give you an idea of figures over the past two years I ended up giving €1.30 - €1.40 per head per day for sheds in the midlands for 450-500kg cattle. I drop the cattle into the shed circa. mid November and the shed owner looks after them after that until I pick them up again mid March. All silage supplied adlib by the shed owner but I would have to provide meal if I want to feed any (which I dont)

Westernrock

There’s thousands of dairy heifers wintered on slats all over the country with no issues. I’ve seen plenty of heifers come off slats cleaner for calving than some of the solid floor/cubicle set ups. With the prohibitive cost of straw in the west most cattle are on slats with cubicle lie backs only for the main herd of cows.

StevenToast

Gman1987 wrote: »

Just to give you an idea of figures over the past two years I ended up giving €1.30 - €1.40 per head per day for sheds in the midlands for 450-500kg cattle. I drop the cattle into the shed circa. mid November and the shed owner looks after them after that until I pick them up again mid March. All silage supplied adlib by the shed owner but I would have to provide meal if I want to feed any (which I dont)

Thats great information,

Thank you

TPF2012

Gman1987 wrote: »

Just to give you an idea of figures over the past two years I ended up giving €1.30 - €1.40 per head per day for sheds in the midlands for 450-500kg cattle. I drop the cattle into the shed circa. mid November and the shed owner looks after them after that until I pick them up again mid March. All silage supplied adlib by the shed owner but I would have to provide meal if I want to feed any (which I dont)

There is no money in shed owner for that, even just suppling the bales alone they'd be down, never mind the labour and capital cost of shed. Good deal for you.

Cavanjack

TPF2012 wrote: »

There is no money in shed owner for that, even just suppling the bales alone they'd be down, never mind the labour and capital cost of shed. Good deal for you.

I thought it dear

BENDYBINN

Gman1987 wrote: »

Just to give you an idea of figures over the past two years I ended up giving €1.30 - €1.40 per head per day for sheds in the midlands for 450-500kg cattle. I drop the cattle into the shed circa. mid November and the shed owner looks after them after that until I pick them up again mid March. All silage supplied adlib by the shed owner but I would have to provide meal if I want to feed any (which I dont)

25 cattle= 31 euro per day
Cattle eat one bale per day...value 25 euro
Farmer must provide shed and feed......
Farmer busy fool I say...

Bass Reeves

BENDYBINN wrote: »

25 cattle= 31 euro per day
Cattle eat one bale per day...value 25
Farmer must provide shed and feed......
Farmer busy fool I say...

Making good dry silage a baie will last 32 cattle a day. 32x1.4= 44.8. cost of making bale silage is always equivalent to DM of bale. The difference in cost between low DM and high DM bales is only 2-3 euro/bale. 100 cattle in a shed is 135 Eury/day. Silage is 75/day60 euro/day to cover labour, shed, machinery and electricity. 120 day winter is 7200 euro. To make a profit at farming you need to be ultra efficient. You need about 360 bales for the winter. You get that silage off 25 acres on a two cut system. Is after grass worth 30/acres .

Profit margin is so tight in beef farming this may be an option. I would not do it but lads can ways stock the place themselves

BENDYBINN

Bass Reeves wrote: »

Making good dry silage a baie will last 32 cattle a day. 32x1.4= 44.8. cost of making bale silage is always equivalent to DM of bale. The difference in cost between low DM and high DM bales is only 2-3 euro/bale. 100 cattle in a shed is 135 Eury/day. Silage is 75/day60 euro/day to cover labour, shed, machinery and electricity. 120 day winter is 7200 euro. To make a profit at farming you need to be ultra efficient. You need about 360 bales for the winter. You get that silage off 25 acres on a two cut system. Is after grass worth 30/acres .

Profit margin is so tight in beef farming this may be an option. I would not do it but lads can ways stock the place themselves

Feeding 32 500kg cattle on only a bale a day is quiet an achievement!

cute geoge

Second last winter the one after the drought I was sure i would be short of silage but the wilted silage lasted at least one and a half times longer ,At one stage 2 bales were feeding 60 dry cows with a kilo of meal so if wilted bales are well packed they will go along way .I wonder has anyone done the maths of how many kilo of dry matter is in wilted bales compared to low d.m. bales

Bass Reeves

BENDYBINN wrote: »

Feeding 32 500kg cattle on only a bale a day is quiet an achievement!

In the last 5 years I have gone from 10-12 bales per acre to 7ish bales per acre. Newer balers have cut number of bales by at least 20% the rest is getting the wilt right.

These bales wilted to above 50%DM are up on 650kgs in weight. Cattle will eat approximately 2%of there body weight per day. 650 by 50% is 325 kgs of DM per bale or the feed for 32 in no 500kg stock

BENDYBINN

Bass Reeves wrote: »

In the last 5 years I have gone from 10-12 bales per acre to 7ish bales per acre. Newer balers have cut number of bales by at least 20% the rest is getting the wilt right.

These bales wilted to above 50%DM are up on 650kgs in weight. Cattle will eat approximately 2%of there body weight per day. 650 by 50% is 325 kgs of DM per bale or the feed for 32 in no 500kg stock

How long do you let silage wilt for?

Bass Reeves

BENDYBINN wrote: »

How long do you let silage wilt for?

Cut with a mower conditioner, 44-48 hours in really hot weather three days in not so hot weather

Panch18

you need to be careful not to have it wilting too long as well otherwise the grass starts deteriorating and you are making the silage worse

we tend to bale now 24-36 hours after mowing - think it better than the 48 hours

Dunedin

Panch18 wrote: »

you need to be careful not to have it wilting too long as well otherwise the grass starts deteriorating and you are making the silage worse

we tend to bale now 24-36 hours after mowing - think it better than the 48 hours

24-36 hours. Any time after that and protein starts dropping.

Bass Reeves

Panch18 wrote: »

you need to be careful not to have it wilting too long as well otherwise the grass starts deteriorating and you are making the silage worse

we tend to bale now 24-36 hours after mowing - think it better than the 48 hours

Dunedin wrote: »

24-36 hours. Any time after that and protein starts dropping.

Very little research has gone into thrive off different types of silage. Most research has been based on quality from testing. Assumptions have been based on quality.

However evidence is now beginning to be seen that high DM silage increases intake and this increases thrive and LW gain. My system is a low cost silage only for stores during the winter. When you allow for the fact that 50%of the cost of a bale of silage is in cutting, baling and plastic the more that's in the bale helps to lower your feed costs. No point.in getting an extra 50-60 grind/day if it costing 3-4euro/kg of liveweight

_Brian

Get paid as much as you can up front. The amount of lads that walk off without paying.

mr.stonewall

_Brian wrote: »

Get paid as much as you can up front. The amount of lads that walk off without paying.

Also get it on paper with conditions and signed by both parties. Copy of to each party. Helps to keep a bit order on it.

Another option is payment at start of each month or cattle turned out. Being a bit of boll*x at the start is important as it is keeps the person coming in on toes and you get to see the colour of the metal of who you are dealing with

StevenToast

If i dont get all the money upfront...there wont be one beast setting foot in the shed....

k mac

What would the going rate be for a 3 bay single shed in the west. No silage with it.

jaymla627

cute geoge wrote: »

Second last winter the one after the drought I was sure i would be short of silage but the wilted silage lasted at least one and a half times longer ,At one stage 2 bales were feeding 60 dry cows with a kilo of meal so if wilted bales are well packed they will go along way .I wonder has anyone done the maths of how many kilo of dry matter is in wilted bales compared to low d.m. bales

Bought haylage type wraps last year that tested 51%dm and where averaging 750kgs fresh weight on feeder scales so 330kgs dm a bale, a bale of wet stuff say at 850kgs fresh weight and 20%dm would only have around 170kgs dm a bale

curiousinvestor

jaymla627 wrote: »

Bought haylage type wraps last year that tested 51%dm and where averaging 750kgs fresh weight on feeder scales so 330kgs dm a bale, a bale of wet stuff say at 850kgs fresh weight and 20%dm would only have around 170kgs dm a bale

That's v interesting.
I have no weights, but suckling cows here last winter ate twice as much of the wet silage than they did the dry silage that was made at d start of July. Not approx, they were going through twice as many bales. The cows were always lying out like pigs chewing the cud on the dry stuff and roaring when on the wet stuff.

It’s all haylage we make, it lasts longer per bale and keeps the cows much cleaner.

They will also turn their nose up at proper silage now as they prefer the haylage so it’s a lot more waste too. Only reason we would end up with a bit of silage would be if the weather was going to take a turn and we couldn’t wilt long enough.

Panch18

Gibson Wooden Signboard wrote: »

It’s all haylage we make, it lasts longer per bale and keeps the cows much cleaner.

They will also turn their nose up at proper silage now as they prefer the haylage so it’s a lot more waste too. Only reason we would end up with a bit of silage would be if the weather was going to take a turn and we couldn’t wilt long enough.

Is that for sucklers or dairy?

How long would you typically leave the haylage before bailing and how many turns would you give it?

Obviously weather is the deciding factor but in general

Bass Reeves

Panch18 wrote: »

Is that for sucklers or dairy?

How long would you typically leave the haylage before bailing and how many turns would you give it?

Obviously weather is the deciding factor but in general

Mine is for drystock. I use s two cut system, first cut was around May 25th, the weather was very good it was down about 48 hours cut one evening with a mowers conditioner, rowed morning before baling. Weather was excellent. Second cut was early August, got three dry days same treatment. No tedding or turning out would be trying for high 30's DM at a minimum
but have had haulage in the 60's DM.

When you start doing it in a beef system you will never go back to getting low DM silage. No waste, no constantly drawing bales to the feed face, handling 70%of the bales or less, cattle much more contend, less risk of a single animal going back in the pen unless there is another issue, brings bale costs to below bulk silage cost. It also easier to pike all left over bits in front of one pen to force clean out if feed face. Not half the bulling at the feed face when fresh silage us dropped in.

It amazing as well it works out as cheap as making hay. I am after feeding a bake to three rigs that I have put in out of the way. I got a bake of hay off the brother in law it only lasted 10 days, I have put a bale of haylage in front and they will take two weeks at least to eat if it holds up. I am thinking of putting in 2-3hungry stores with the hem that will take until Christmas to go overfat.

Panch18

Panch18 wrote: »

Is that for sucklers or dairy?

How long would you typically leave the haylage before bailing and how many turns would you give it?

Obviously weather is the deciding factor but in general

It’s sucklers.

As you said it depends on the weather - with nice sunny weather cut early afternoon - turn that evening. Leave the full following day with one turn at some stage of the day and then row the following day and bale sometime in the afternoon.

That wouldn’t be unusual but there would be variations depending on weather, having the time to cut in the afternoon rather than evening etc.

So between 48 about maybe 54 hrs and it would get two turns.