New tank and shed for weanings

morphy87

I’m looking for some advice about converting a shed. I’m considering putting a tank outside a straw bedded shed where the weanings would eat on the slats and go back and lie on the straw bedded shed whats people’s opinions on this? I like my weanings on straw, and I’m going into extra stock so I’ll probably have to do something

_Brian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058436819/new-tank-and-shed-for-weanings

I’ve no doubt it’s better for cattle and the dung you get is better for land, but are you bringing in another point of reliance on an input on your farm that you have no control over ??

At least with slats and mats over a tank, that’s done, no worry about straw availability and prices.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124369949#Comment_124369949

That’s true, but would you use much straw using this system?

limo_100

slats and mats are ok for weanlings skip the straw, but you could add a creep area at the back of it just to have it, if you went into sucklers it would be useful.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370013#Comment_124370013

If I was doing this building a shed would be behind it, this is why i was considering interlinking them to make use of it,

mr.stonewall

Straw and slats can be fun to stir up sometimes. A bit different with young calves compared to weanlings.

I would be more inclined to leave the space free for something else, be it an isolation pen somewhere to store stuff or fix stuff under cover potentially

limo_100

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370131#Comment_124370131

you could interlink them use ur current space for a creep or a handling facility and put your tank in front of it. Maybe im not following you fully though

_Brian

What slat mats would people find best for weanlings and anyone prices recently ?

morphy87

How much would it currently cost to do a 50 ft tank including slats, 12/6 slat, excluding labour,have my own way of digging it

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058436819/new-tank-and-shed-for-weanings

We’d this year’s ago, great job. Have lots of water in the tank before cattle go in and strong timber to hold the bedding back. Have access to clean out and bed without crossing the slats

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370711#Comment_124370711

how many cattle will be in it, that’s a fairly small tank

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370765#Comment_124370765

45 weanings, I’d presume most tanks are 9 foot deep now

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370725#Comment_124370725

Do you still use this system? When you were, were you using much straw? Part if the reason why I’m considering this is because it’s very difficult to keep cattle bedded and I like weanings on straw

148multi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370769#Comment_124370769

Most tanks around here are minimum 14'6" x 10' now with being caught with bad harvest's or bad spring's, also wouldn't advise anyone to get into suckling.

lmk123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370769#Comment_124370769

8, 9 or 10 foot deep, maybe you can’t go more than 3 bays long but I’d definitely make the tank wider if I was youif possible, think of it this way if you put in a 16’6 slat you’d have almost 40% extra storage in the tank, it would be a cheap 40% in the grand scheme of things

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370838#Comment_124370838

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370816#Comment_124370816

That’s true, I suppose if you went big enough, if you had bad weather you could transfer slurry from one tank to another.

Tibulus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370711#Comment_124370711

Found this article helpful for costings: Video: Inside 'dream' new Cavan suckler shed built to ease handling https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/video-inside-dream-new-cavan-suckler-shed-built-to-ease-handling/

Was told that 15ft straw lie back would like quarter the straw of a 30ft, which makes sense.

If you were to use an existing shed, getting the slope right would be important to reducing straw. I was using a shed with a fall to the centre to rear calfs, couldn't keep it bedded. Had to change.

Whats the dimensions of the existing shed? Would it be suitable for converting for cubicles and scraper? All can be put through tams.

I keep house weanlings in a shed that was built for dairy cows. 65 weanlings in a shed with 5 bays of feeding and 40 cubicles. The dominant animals sleep on cubicle and the others in slats.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370874#Comment_124370874

The dimensions of the current shed are 45ft by 22ft, there are mass concrete walls so I could cut an entry point in the mass concrete walls.

That sounds a right setup with your cubicles, does it take the cattle long to get used to them?

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370711#Comment_124370711

Concrete 42m³ in around 7.5k

Shuttering 2.5k

Steel around 2k.

Slats maybe a shade along with 6k.

Rough enough figures but it wouldn't be a million miles off around here anyway.

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370908#Comment_124370908

If you went 14/6 would it increase much? That doesn’t sound too bad at those costs.

Would it be possible to get a grant for slats only?

148multi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370953#Comment_124370953

Yes

morphy87

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370970#Comment_124370970

I thought before you had to get a grant for the tank to qualify for the slats? Maybe I’m wrong on this

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370793#Comment_124370793

No it was a rented farm. We’d 20 per pen on a 40ft lie back. 1 bale fresh if per week

Tibulus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124370905#Comment_124370905

No, pretty quick.

Want to hang some new gates this year and split the shed to seperate the weaker weanlings from main group. Was letting them into a collection yard for feeding meal from troughs (only feeding at barriers for 50). When I weighed in March, the weaker stock underperformed (not getting their meal).