How to convert a single slatted bay to a solid floor

n1st

Any ideas how to make a solid floor from a slat?

I've a 3 bay slatted shed.

I want 1 bay to have a solid floor.

I'm hoping to reuse the slats to make the floor i.e. cover the slats in concrete somehow but how exactly?

9935452

Are you looking for a permanent job ?

I think my own preference would be to replace the slats with slabs if tgey were available.

That would be a very strong job especially if you wanted to drive tractors on it to clean it out.

Pouring 3 or 4 inches on concrete on top of tge slats would be adding a lot of weight to them . Wouldnt bond together well. I wouldnt be happy to drive on them .

Then the heights would be wrong .

If it was me id extend tge slatted house by a bay if there was space

n1st

Yes. I've no plans to drive a tractor on it. I don't see height as an issue, the front already has a 9 inch block on it.

I was thinking of 3 inches of concrete over the existing slats. Not sure how it will work

Farney Farmer

what are you going to use this bay for. Any need to concrete over the slats?

n1st

A layback for cattle. Will be covered with straw.

Other 2 bays will be open and for feeding. Open shed repurposed for outwintering.

baxterooneydoody

Get into tank and acrow ply onto bottom of slats, pour 3 or 4 inches of concrete out over the slats. Make sure slats are clean and as an added measure you could use sbr as a primer to form a bond with the slats but it's probably not needed. I'd put 6mm mesh for structural strength

minerleague

when dry cattle go out in spring I put geo-textile (garden fabric) on top of slats in 2 pens with bedding on top to act as calving pens. Works well and stays reasonably dry too.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122673785#Comment_122673785

Agree weight of concrete on top of slats doesn't sound great

Who2

I have just layed rubber matting over a tank I don’t use no need for concrete. You can straw bed on top if you want.

funkey_monkey

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674224#Comment_122674224

I don't think you need to cover it if it's only for straw beeding for cattle.

I follow a fella on TikTok who farms organically. He needs over the slats and has no bother stirring.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZGd1GQrNQ/

older by the day

I would not think that much straw would go into the tank, if anything letting the gaps will help the soakage.

Don't be bollocking around inside in the tank with acros and plywood anyway.

Limestone Cowboy

I know a few lads in organics that lifted out the slats and replaced with solid slabs.

Wildsurfer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122674224#Comment_122674224

You say you won't be driving a tractor on it but how will you clean out the pen?

893bet

I think it’s a bad idea personally.

Extra weight permanent on the slab with the concrete, extra weight with the wet bedding, then all the cattle on it also. The temptation to clean with the tractor.

Note if for organics it’s against the rules to bed directly onto slats (but if the cattle had access outside then it might be ok; but then you will likely be out of compliance to outwintering rules which need a relative large area per unit livestock to which they have access to for out wintering).

Either get rubber matting for that bay and forget the bedding or take out the slats and replace with solid ones.

baxterooneydoody

Alternatively, you could just put cheap ply on top of slats, pour your slab with mesh and it would go nowhere, easier to tear out when you're done with it

9935452

Another thought, is it still possible to get the grant to replace slats.

If it was it might be another option to replace slats with solid ones

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122675173#Comment_122675173

With a Graipe of course 🤔🤔🤔

patsy_mccabe

Give the slat rubber mat manufacturers a ring. It might be easy for them to produce a mat without the openings. Worth a shot anyway.

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122678324#Comment_122678324

I’d think the easyfix mats would work without having to be fixed, can get the dovetail joints

Silverdream

I had the idea to use a layer of marine ply then rubber mats and then a bed of straw on the slats but was told it was a no go for organics not because of the rubber or ply but because it was seen as a safety issue as there would be a possibility of the slats not being able to cope with the extra weight.

I do think the ban on using rubber mats on slats as an alternative to solid floor bedding in Organics is ridiculous, and is stopping a lot of conventional farmers who made investments into standard slatted houses. They were only following what was the guidance at the time.

Castlekeeper

Unless your mad for spending money and making work for yourself, if you want to bed the slats just do it.

The best suggestion above was to put down a geotextile/ terram layer to leave the water through and keep the bedding up for easier cleaning.

If you want something solid on top, a sheet of plastic and 5 -10 mms of heavy duty self levelling compound will never stir and won't add any weight.

148multi

A neighbour here keeps sheep on slatts, just straw straight on the slatts, no problems, not organic.

148multi

Organics are against anything seen as factory farming

memorystick

just replace with tractor slats and bed on top or else feed passage slats

n1st

Thanks for the responses.

Sounds like overlaying the existing slats is not good.

I'll leave as is this year and use straw on slats. Cattle outwintered and only have access to shed for feeding and lying. Not the easiest to clean out an old fashioned grape.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122695302#Comment_122695302

I used to bed the sheep on cattle slats, the shed is 10 (24 ft by 15ft) bays . I used to clean it out with a micro digger in two days, Threw the dung to the feeding barrier first and then got up on the dung and threw it on to the feeding passage…… simples

samcr440!

There is a TAMS grant for replacing slats with slabs for organics

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122695302#Comment_122695302

If the cattle only use the shed for feeding and can lie outside why would you bother bedding the slats with straw at all, there’s no need to, they can lie on the slats when it’s raining if they want and you’re saving your straw and the hassle of cleaning out the shed.

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122696151#Comment_122696151

Sensible and sound solution. Although knowing the powers that be you must use straw otherwise it doesn’t fit the organic ideal.

kk.man

Why don't the poster build a span for his purpose and leave the slatted shed as is. One new span won't break the bank. You never know when you'd need the slatted shed.

tanko

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122696181#Comment_122696181

AFAIK it is ok for outwintered cattle to come into a slatted shed to feed as long as they are never closed into the shed and always have access to go out. A problem may arise if the area outside the shed was turning into gutter and slop with run off into a drain or the like. If you had a spot inspection and some cattle were lying on the slats but the door was open i doubt it would be a problem, but if the cattle were closed into the shed you’d have a nice penalty on the way i’d think.

I says

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122696825#Comment_122696825

correct